Puppy Heaven
by stillwaiting4u
Summary: Kyoko climbed from a modest childhood, and is now a top ANBU kunoichi. Close friends with the Kazekage, she visits Konoha, and one specific boy just refuses to leave her alone. When she returns to her hometown and her life seems to come crashing down around her ears, will she be able to deal? What will happen when Kiba reappears, towing unfamiliar feelings along with him?
1. Prologue

_Eeeeehhhhh! :D It's finally here! I've been thinking about this for so long… now I just have to get my plot and ideas out to you all!_

_Enjoy!_

_(Update: 6/14/2012- the cover is from suppai on deviantart. I really hope she doesn't mind. So there you go, I do not own it, and I will link you so you can go check out her stuff. _ art/Kiba-and-Akamaru-20911986)

…

Kyoko lay in the large bed in the guest house. She was staying in Konoha, as a guest of the Hokage. There was going to be a party, and she had spent all day cleaning and making food. Now it was time to start getting ready, but she took a moment to think about how exactly she got where she was.

…

Taketani Kyoko was born and raised in Sunagakure, where she had lived with her parents and a little brother. They had been happy, and seemed to be a great family. That was until she hit puberty.

As she grew up, Kyoko began to realize that things were a bit off. He little brother was obviously miserable, though anytime she tried to help him, he refused and was a brat to her. Eventually she gave up. She had her own problems to deal with. Their parents were weird. They made it look like they were proud of their kids, but really, all that mattered was themselves. It was never obvious from the outside, but the kids were very neglected and alone. They constantly had a mile-long list of chores to do, on top of homework and school.

As she grew up, she got bitter. Why was it that she and Ryo were always cleaning and cooking while their parents watched television and went out to dinner? Why was it that they never cared when she did something good, but it was a huge deal if she messed up? Why was she always alone? Why did life have to be like this? She got angry, but she could hide it. She dealt and lived, knowing it was only a few more years before she could leave. But then everything changed.

She was about 13 when it started. Her head would hurt. All the time. It would never go away, and it became so much harder to be civil to everyone, especially her family. The littlest things pissed her off, and she would get snarky and loud. And she was crying, all the time. She couldn't control herself, and she didn't know what was going on.

One day, she managed to calm herself down enough to talk to her parents. She explained how her head hurt and everything sucked, and sometimes she heard people talking about her, but she didn't know where they were or who they were. She told them how tired and sick of this she was, hoping they would help her. Instead, her parents just talked to her, saying they would change the things that pissed her off and try to help, but weeks later, nothing had changed. They treated Kyoko like she was crazy, some kind of homicidal maniac that would kill them all at the drop of a hat, and with their actions, sometimes she considered just that.

Kaie would lay in bed an entire day, only getting up to feed Ryo and go to school. She was falling apart, and she couldn't deal anymore.

Finally, on a good day, she decided to go to the hospital after school to see if they could help her.

She talked to a nurse, who seemed intrigued by what Kyoko said, and wrote everything down on a clipboard. When she was done, she simply looked at the nurse, hoping they wouldn't just throw her in some kind of asylum. The nurse smiled at her and told her to wait while she got someone who could help more.

Kaie sat, getting more and more nervous, until she was nearly shaking in her chair and was considering just leaving before they got there. Thankfully, after what seemed like eons, the nurse returned, followed by an old woman who looked like she had been through a lot in her life.

"Kyoko, this is Chiyo baasama. She is a ninja who specializes in medical ninjutsu. I think she can help you."

Kyoko could do nothing but look at the woman. She looked mean, and definitely grumpy.

Chiyo baasama looked Kyoko over critically. "Do you have any ninja in the family?"

"U-uhm… no? I don't think so."

"Mm." She muttered, walking up to Kyoko and peering into her eyes. "So, you hear things and get headaches a lot, right?"

"Yea…" Kyoko looked down, ashamed.

"Do you know anything about Kekkei Genkai?"

"Um... No? What is it?"

"Kekkei Genkai is a type of jutsu that someone is born with. Sometimes it is passed down in the family, but sometimes it can be part of a random mutation in a single individual. I think that is where your problems are coming from."

Kyoko was shocked. "So you mean- I'm a ninja?"

"No! You don't have the training or the discipline to be a ninja. This simply means that you have great potential to become a ninja. Tell me, girl. How old are you?"

"Uhm, thirteen."

"There is still time, though I've never seen a kekkei genkai show itself so late…. Maybe it had something to do with puberty." Chiyo baasama mused to herself. "Have you started menstruation?"

"Yes, about two years ago." Kyoko answered shyly.

"And that's about when this all started, right?"

"About."

"Mm." Chiyo baasama stared out the window in thought. "Do you want to be a Kunoichi?" She turned back to Kyoko.

"That's a female ninja, right?"

Chiyo baasama nodded.

"Yes!" Kyoko's eyes lit up and her heart lifted. Maybe, just maybe, she had found a place where she fit. A place where she was like everyone else, and would have friends. "When can I start?"

"Well, you are a bit old, but I think you might be able to join the group in a couple weeks if we do a bit of preliminary testing and training. For now, Come back tomorrow and I will get you set up and see what we can do about those headaches." The old woman smiled at Kyoko and she smiled back.

…

A few weeks later, it was time for Kyoko to meet the rest of the Kunoichi-in-training. She was following Chiyo baasama to the fifth training grounds to meet the group. Over the last two weeks, she had been given a pill to "turn off" her kekkei genkai and had been working out and testing to see where she was on the ninja scale.

She was still behind, but it had been decided that it would help if she could train and become friends with the rest of the young kunoichi. Finally, they made it to the large grassy clearing, surrounded by trees and some punching bags. Kyoko saw three other girls, about her age, who stood, waiting for them.

The first girl had black hair that hung down on the sides of her face, but the rest was pulled up into a fluffy bun on the top of her head. The girl had a long sleeve purple shirt with knee-length poofy pants and her headband was around her neck.

The second girl had reddish hair and long pants. Her shirt came to just above her belly button and she wore her headband on top of her head, tied underneath.

The last girl looked bored and had sandy blonde hair that was pulled back in four short pigtails. She wore a purple short sleeved shirt over a net shirt along with black Capri pants that gathered along the bottom, and she was leaning on a large fan.

"This is Kyoko. She will be joining you." Chiyo baasama announced, addressing the trio of girls. They all straightened to look over the new girl.

"Hello." Kyoko said, a bit shy, but trying not to act it.

"This is Aiko, Rika, and Temari, the Kazekage's daughter."

"Oh, don't say that. I'm no different because of him. I'm just the same as them." Temari cut in, jerking her head at her two friends. She smiled at Kyoko and said "Our teacher isn't here yet, but we can maybe show you some stuff before she gets here."

Chiyo baasama smiled and turned to leave. "Try not to make too much of a mess, girls."

The girls spent the next hour laughing and smiling, showing off their jutsu and techniques to Kyoko. She was behind, but over the weeks and months, she caught up quickly, and soon was competing for the top position. She would spend all day at the training grounds, sweating, working and shouting, and it was the happiest she had ever been. Unfortunately, at the end of every day, she had to go home.

She went home to eat dinner and act like she was enjoying herself, but every night, she fell asleep thinking about what she was going to do tomorrow in training.

Kyoko became fast friend with Temari, and the girls did nearly everything together. They each knew how the other felt, with the family problems, and on the days when neither wanted to be home, they would go to an empty house on the edge of town. Temari's family owned it, but with everything that was going on, they never went there anymore, so it almost became a sacred hideout to the girls.

They grew up, and soon enough, Temari was put on a team with her brothers. Kyoko had developed her jutsus and kekkei genkai and was asked to join the ANBU as a spy. She accepted, and soon fell under the order of Temari's very own father.

…

Kyoko's mind skipped over most of the troublesome times in Suna, she thought about them too often anyways.

…

After the those famous Chunin exams, Gaara came back, and he was changed. He became the Kazekage himself, and she had to say, even though he was still figuring it out, he did a hell of a lot better that his father. When she heard about the siblings organizing an actual academy in the village, she jumped at the request to help. Soon, Kyoko was one of the top advisors, and had become Head of Kunoichi Development. The only problem was that she had to keep her identity a secret and operate under an alias in the academy, on account of still working on ANBU under Gaara. He was still figuring out the whole emotions and relationships between people thing, but he did seem partial to Kyoko, probably because they had grown up together.

This time, she had travelled with the siblings to study the Konoha Academy and sit in on meetings with the Hokage. They had been here a couple days, and this morning, Temari had announced that they were the lucky hosts of a house party. Kankuro, of course, was excited, though he managed to act cool about it, and Gaara acted indifferent, though he was very helpful with getting ready.

…

So now Kyoko lay on her bed. She stared at the ceiling, letting her long hair hang over the edge to dry in the cool air. She groaned and rolled over, looking at the jumble of clothes in the corner. She had half-unpacked and consequently, some clothes were in her bag, some were on the floor, and some were the clothes that Temari kept in the house so she didn't have to pack as much when she visited as Ambassador.

She stood, holding the towel lightly around herself, simply as a precaution against the numerous men in the house. Eventually, she chose a tank top & skirt. Usually she wore long, flowy ones, but today, in a bit of a party mood, she chose a tight black one that hit about mid-thigh. Her ninja showed when she pulled on a pair of tight short shorts under it and slid into a long-sleeved net shirt to hide her ANBU tattoo before the tanktop. Once she was clothed, she flipped the light on in the bathroom and proceeded to manage her hair. Once that was done, she rimmed her eyes in dark, creamy black eyeliner and emphasized her lashes with her favorite mascara. A quick swipe of chapstick, and she was good to go.

Kyoko paused for a moment to slip a few shuriken into her bra and a kunai in the waistband of her skirt, then exited to finish with her specified preparations.

…

_Okay, so I know it's a bit boring, but it is a prologue, right? Just bear with me and come back next chapter, it will be super yummy! :) Please review for me!_


	2. In the Closet

_On to the story! :) Hope you guys like it!_

…

As Kyoko emerged, she found that people had already started showing up. They were mostly helping set up still, but she decided she could get introduced now. She headed to the kitchen to finish setting out the dip and chips, and found Sakura, a pink-haired girl she knew from earlier. She was talking sternly to a yellow-haired boy, and when she saw Kyoko, turned him around.

"Kyoko! This is Naruto." Sakura said, pulling her over.

"Hiya!" He said enthusiastically. Kyoko smiled and said hi before being pulled off in another direction to meet a few of the other girls.

…

Soon enough, Kyoko had talked to everyone at least once, and she could tell a couple of the guys had their eyes on her. Deciding she should have some fun while in Konoha, she held nothing back on the flirting front.

Kyoko stood talking to Kankuro and a nice boy called Kiba when Ino and Sakura called together "Time to play a game!" with devilish smiles. Kyoko rolled her eyes at the boys, but grabbed her glass and moved to sit on the carpeted floor near Hinata.

Once everyone was settled, Sakura passed out little slips of paper, while Ino explained the rules. "Seven Minutes in Heaven! First, the boys will write something on their paper, we will mix them up, then the girls will choose a piece. Then they go in the closet, and whoever's paper they got will follow them. We will shut the door and set the timer for 7 minutes, and then they can come out." Ino took the basket full of paper Sakura had collected, and said "I think we should let a guest go first. Kyoko?" Kyoko sat up, and reached her hand into the basket, retrieving a scrap that had something smeared that looked almost like a toe print.

"Uhm. I have no idea what that is." she said, smiling. Kyoko handed Ino the paper and stood. "I go in there, right?"

"Yup. He will be in in a second!" Ino said brightly.

Kyoko leaned against the back of the closet, waiting for the boy to show up. When she finally saw the figure silhouetted in the blinding light, it was accompanied by an odd yip a few rooms away.

"What? Someone step on that puppy?" Kyoko joked; stepping to the side so there was room for the boy. Ino shut the door, and then the two were in the darkness, pushed together by the claustrophobia of the closet. "So?" she asked "What shall we do?"

"What do you want to do?" The boy asked, and she recognized the voice, as she had talked to everyone, but couldn't quite place which boy he was.

"Well, first, let's figure out who you are." She suggested, putting a hand out to feel his arm, moving her fingers up to his head. "You're kinda fuzzy." She giggled, and could tell he was smiling.

"Kiba. Remember me?" he asked, taking a slight step forward. Kyoko stood her ground, but placed her hands on his arms.

"Hmm…. Which one were you again?" She joked, knowing exactly who he was. Kiba's body seemed to slump, and he backed away to lean against the door. "I'm just kidding, I know who you are." She said, stepping towards him again.

"Well then, did you wish you had picked someone else?" he asked, his voice still pointed to the ground.

"Nope. Definitely better than that one guy with the long hair who kept eyeing me." She replied, resting a hand on his chest.

"Oh, well, Neji is a bit of a creeper." Kiba replied, straightening.

Kyoko couldn't stop thinking about what it would be like to kiss Kiba. They stood there a moment, and she decided to just go for it. If it sucked, she could just run back to Suna, right? She leaned forward and kissed him. Her lips pressed softly against his, and he seemed almost shocked. After a moment, she broke away and took a half-step back.

"Well, there. Now you have a story to embellish about that girl from Suna." She said, teasing him. She took a deep breath, thinking she had enjoyed that more than she should have. She was just thinking about what to say next when she felt strong arms wrap around her waist. Kiba gripped her so hard he nearly lifted her off her feet, and his lips came crashing down on her. He kissed her with a passion she had never known before, and she knew that everything he did, he did with passion. She kissed him back, getting into it, wrapping her arms around his neck.

They were moving, and all of a sudden, Kyoko felt her back press against the closet wall behind her. Kiba had pushed her up against the wall, which just got her even more riled up, and soon she was nipping at his bottom lip, teasing the boy. He licked her lips in return, and she parted them, allowing his tongue entrance.

Kiba pulled up for a breather. "Wanna give me a couple more stories?" He whispered, breathing heavily, before pinning her against the wall once again, and moving his lips to her neck. She gasped at the feeling, and arched her body into him.

"Sto-st-ppp" Kyoko managed to get out, trying to push Kiba away. For a split second, her logic had overridden her senses, and she realized that any moment, someone would open that door, and she wasn't much for people seeing this, but she wasn't too excited to use her jutsu on friends either.

Finally managing to get him to back up, the pair stood panting on opposite sides of the closet, looking at each other. Kyoko saw the look in his eye, and said "There are people out there. They will be coming in here any moment." She moved to give him a sweet kiss, but again, he grasped her tightly. "Down, boy!" she said, half-jokingly, smacking him in the head.

The impact seemed to bring Kiba slightly back to reality, as he managed an "Okay…" and moved towards her. She gave him a warning look, but he rested his large hands on Kyoko's hips and gently brushed his lips against hers.

That moment, Neji pulled the door open, the entire room looking to see what had happened the first time in the closet. Kiba pulled back and murmured "Good timing." with a light smirk, before releasing her and walking out.

While they had been locked up, someone had managed to let Akamaru out, but only after he promised to behave, and now he was wagging his tail happily as Kiba knelt to scratch his ears affectionately.

Kyoko resumed her spot next to Hinata, who had the large puppy and dog-boy on the other side of her. Once Akamaru had gotten over his excitement of seeing Kiba again, he turned back to Hinata, nudging her hand until she moved it and let him rest his large skull in her lap. She smiled and turned to Kyoko. "Not too bad, right? Kiba is a gentleman…" The shy girl said to her new friend.

"He was a perfect gentleman." Kyoko smiled to herself, and turned to watch the game. She saw Shikamaru enter with a girl with long dark hair that Kyoko remembered something about being a medical nin. Now it was time to wait. "Wow, this is a lot more boring out here." She turned back to Hinata, who seemed a bit pinker than usual. "Nervous?" She teased lightly, nudging her in the shoulder.

Hinata nodded shyly.

"It'll be fine. All these guys know you, and I am sure none of them would force anything on you. And if they do, just lemme know, and it'll never happen again." Kyoko gave her a friendly smile, trying to make the other girl feel better. She smiled back, and seemed to relax a bit, moving her hand to pet Akamaru's huge ears.

As the game continued, it got increasingly boring. Kyoko had already been in the closet, and she wasn't nearly as interested in these people's love lives as Ino and Sakura were. She had watched a few of the couples wander off together after they came out, and a few people form their own non-closet couples, as well as watch everyone act like some level of idiot. Finally, Kyoko couldn't deal any longer. "Walk…" She muttered under her breath, not really expecting anyone to hear her. She stood, tugged on her skirt a bit and moved to the door.

People watched her, but they didn't try to pull her back, which was just as good, as Kyoko mostly just wanted to be alone with her thoughts at the moment. She stepped out the back door and into the cool Konoha air. Taking a deep breath, she stepped down the cool rock pathway and into the lush grass. She felt the soft blades between her toes and was glad she had left shoes in her room, opting for her natural, blue-polished toes.

Looking around, Kyoko smiled up at the stars. They were so bright and lively. She loved how they sparkled and twinkled, like they shined just for her.

She stood like that for a bit, letting the wind blow her long hair over her shoulder. Suddenly, she heard something behind her, and spun around, silently taking inventory of her weapons. She flung a hand over her heart in a startled position, but in actuality it was only to make it easier to reach the shuriken stashed in her décolletage.

…

_Oh noes! What is happening? Is she being kidnapped? Raped? Attacked? Murdered?_

_Hehe, I hope you guys like it. It got a bit yummy in the closet, and now you get to see what actually happens! :) Also, I am thinking of doing a series of oneshots and drabbles. What do you think? Message me!_


	3. Bedtime

_I got bored in study hall, and because I love you all soo much, I decided to post this for you! _

…

"Kiba!" She breathed, relaxing and turning back around. "Kami, you scared me. Be careful, next time you might get a shuriken to the eye." She was looking back up at the stars, and she felt peaceful, her heart beat slowly returning to its resting rate.

"Well, Akamaru just needed a wiz, and I thought I'd go for a walk, it's not like I'm creeping on you or anything." The boy said, moving to stand next to her, shoving his hands deep into his pockets.

"Hm." Kyoko mumbled, looking around at the skyline of the village.

"It's pretty nice, huh?"

"Yeah…" She replied, smiling, and turning to look at him.

"Sometimes, when I don't have much to do, or I'm feelin kinda pissy, there's this tree I go and sit in. It's near the training grounds, so it's up on a hill, and I swear, you can see the whole village from up there." Kiba stood, staring at the stars, his posture indifferent, but his voice melancholy.

"That sounds nice…" Kyoko mused, swaying slightly where she stood. "Maybe you could show me sometime?" She looked into Kiba's face.

His face twitched and he smiled a little, his sharp canines glinting slightly in the porchlight. "I think I could do that." He said, turning back to Kyoko. She smiled up at him and took half a step closer.

Kiba extricated his hands from his pockets and let them hang awkwardly for a moment. Then, in a brave gesture, he placed them oh Kyoko's waist, resting them lightly.

Kyoko, in a bit of a teasing mood, lifted her arms to look down at his hands on her waist. "Oh really?" She said, looking up at him and raising her eyebrows.

"Really." Kiba smiled wolfishly before leaning in to kiss Kyoko. She smiled and closed her eyes, enjoying the contact and the mood.

"You just couldn't wait to kiss me again, could you?"

"I managed to restrain myself." He muttered into her ear, his arms now around her waist, and his breath tickling the small strands of hair near her neck.

"Well, restraint isn't much fun, now is it?" Kyoko teased, before nipping lightly at his neck.

With that one action, all of Kiba's restraint and civility flew right out the window. He growled low in his throat and quickly grabbed Kyoko. Before she knew it, he had picked her up and her legs were wrapped around his waist. Now above him, she looked down at him and lifted her eyebrows again. "Is that how you really feel?"

"Some of it."

"Well, what else is there?"

"That would take a really long time to show you."

"Well, how about you give me the Sparknotes version?"

"I dunno, it's kinda… uh, drafty out here." Kiba said, looking around and slowly lowering Kyoko back to the ground. It seemed as though he had managed to get a hold on his hormones, which was lucky because the next second, Akamaru came bounding around the corner, followed by a slightly worried Hinata.

"Oh! Kyoko-san, Kiba-kun." She looked awkward, and looked off into the trees. The pair, noticing this, separated quickly.

"Yea Hinata?" Kiba asked.

"Oh, well, Temari was just a bit worried about Kyoko-san, and Shino was saying we should go home so we can sleep before our meeting with Tsunade-sama tomorrow…" Hinata said, braving a glance back at them, happily finding about 4 feet of space between the two.

"Oh, okay, well, we are heading in right now, right Kyoko?" He looked to find her already halfway to Hinata and the door. "I was just…. showing her the view…" He trailed off, watching Hinata turn and walk back inside with Kyoko, who was smiling.

…

Kyoko, technically being a host, with staying in the house, spent a long time seeing people out and saying goodbyes. The house was large enough where some people stayed the night, but others definitely needed to go home on account of a meeting or some sort of mission the next day.

She waved goodbye to Ino and Choji, then turned to flop onto a couch. She found Sakura staring back at her, and Kankuro leaning against the doorway. "Jeez. Partying is hard work." Sakura said, flopping onto her side, looking dead.

"Yea, it is. Tomorrow is gonna suck." Kyoko said, leaning back. "Wait, wasn't Ino supposed to help clean up tomorrow?"

"She will, she just wanted to go home with Choji… She will be back in the morning, and then head out with Shikamaru, I think she was helping at the Academy and needed to work on lesson plans or something…" Sakura's voice was muffled in the couch cushions, and Kyoko managed to drag herself off the couch.

"Come on. Let's get you to sleep. I bet tomorrow we can even get Hinata to help clean. And maybe she can convince Naruto too."

Sakura snorted, but allowed herself to be pulled up. "I doubt it. He doesn't do anything helpful without the motivation of a good smack."

"Yea, yea." Kyoko walked with her friend past the rooms. They passed the kitchen, which was a disaster area, and then Gaara's room. His door was shut tightly, as he always went to bed a bit early, and had decided he was leaving about half an hour ago. Next came Kankuro's, and then on the opposite side, Temari's. Through the open door, Sakura and Kyoko could spot the lazy ninja Shikamaru stretched out across the large bed, his t-shirt scrunched up around his ribs. Temari smiled at the girls as she closed the door. "Watch out. You know how Kanky gets." Kyoko joked, and Temari rolled her eyes, leaving the door open about 6 inches. "And nothing too loud in the morning! I wanna sleep in!" she called to her friend. Next, they passed Kyoko's door, which was shut at the moment, and then on the opposite side, the one Lee and Tenten were sharing. Being nosy girls, they peeked in and saw Tenten sleeping peacefully in the large bed. Lee, always the gentleman, was sprawled in an odd position on the floor, mumbling something about "youth." Naruto was sharing a room with Hinata next to Kyoko's, and Sakura's was on the other side.

"Jeez, was this place built to house a Harem?" Sakura asked, nearly delusional with exhaustion. She had showed up around 6 the previous morning for preparations, after all.

"Heh, probably." Kyoko agreed, depositing Sakura on the bed. "You'll share a bathroom with Hinata and Naruto, so be careful in the morning. It's over there." Kyoko said, pointing.

Sakura was nearly already out, and Kyoko smiled, shutting the door behind her. She pondered the one empty room left, and thought about how the people were sharing. It didn't seem to work out too horribly, but she knew some of the people were a bit nervous and awkward. Hinata nearly passed out when they told her who they had set her up with.

Shrugging, Kyoko returned to the livingroom to shut the lights off before heading to bed. Kankuro lounged across the couch, half-asleep and watching something on TV.

"Do I need to tuck you in too?" Kyoko said, locking the front door.

"Nah. I'll be in eventually." Kankuro said, rolling slightly so he could look at her as she made her rounds. "Do me a favor and lock your door. Neji was giving you some weird looks earlier. And Kiba didn't seem too pissed he got you in the closet, either."

"Oh, Kanky. You don't need to worry about me. You know that." She smiled at her friend. They had a bit of a history, and had tried dating, but it hadn't worked out and he made a much better big brother, even though they were the same age.

"I know, you kinda had that one face on, though, and I don't wanna have to worry about you." Kankuro knew Kyoko and he had seen her semi-seductress face the entire night. It was beginning to worry him. At least with Temari, he knew there was only one guy to worry about, but Kyoko was a whole different story.

"Don't worry, I will be extra-careful." She said, smiling, and bending down to kiss him on top of the head. "And try to make it to bed, or at least your room before you pass out. You know everyone is gonna wake you up in the morning if you don't."

"I know, I know." Kankuro sounded like a toddler being reminded not to touch the stove. Kyoko smiled and walked back down the hallway, leaving only flickering light and a lounging Kankuro in her wake.

…

_Hmm… just noticed that in the second chapter I had Shika go in the closet with a dark-haired girl (Kaie) oh well! That's how the game works, right?_

_If you want the next chapter before Wednesday, let me know! I have it, and it's a bit more interesting than this, I think, so review! Yay!_


	4. Stalker in Boxers

_Okay, this next one is specifically for ashen snowflake. She was bugging me last night, and I wake up to another message saying how much she wanted an update. So thank you to everyone else who reviewed, and please feel free to message me!_

…

Kyoko shut the door firmly behind her, and leaned on it tiredly. With a heavy sigh, she pushed off and stripped down to her underwear. She had lazily tossed her clothes into the corner, and was now searching through her bed covers for a satin teddy. It was her favorite sleepwear, and sometimes she wore shorts with it, which she chose to do tonight, opting for a more covered approach. She pulled out an emerald green set and slid into them. She left her underwear on underneath the silky boy shorts with a lacy edge, but tossed her bra across the room.

Kyoko decided she was too exhausted to wash her face or bother with brushing her teeth, and plopped down into the huge bed, only sitting up long enough to quickly pull her hair into two braids. She tied off the ends, then tossed a nearby hairbrush at the lightswich, expertly flipping it off. _Finally. Sleep._

…

Kyoko was half-asleep, and she heard an odd noise. She was too exhausted to care, and tried ignoring it, rolling over to sleep again. Again, the odd echoing thumpy sound came, a bit louder this time.

After the fifth time, Kyoko decided to investigate. She grabbed the kunai next to her pillow and moved to the window, slinking through the shadows. She peeked through a corner of the window, prepared for a battle. She half-grunted, half-sighed and stood. Flinging the window up, she whisper-shouted out. "Kiba! What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't sleep, so I came for a little visit." Kiba said a bit cockily. Akamaru let out a muted bark.

"Well, what do you want?"

"I dunno, I thought maybe we could go for a walk or something. Aren't there still people here? I woulda stayed except Shino dragged me home."

"Yea there are people here. They're all asleep!"

"Well…."

"You're just making things worse. Get in here." Kyoko stepped back from the window and flicked on a mini nightlight so she could see him a bit. Next thing she knew, there was a large teenage boy crouching in her window, and he peered down at her.

"Is Akamaru allowed in or should I make him stay out there?"

"Uhhh…" Kyoko wasn't sure what to say. She liked dogs, but they tended to smell, and make things dirty, which she wasn't a fan of in her bedroom. "Well… How clean is he?"

"We took a bath before we came for the party."

"You do everything with your dog, huh? He can come in."

Kiba turned behind him and whistled slightly for the dog out the window. The white mammoth jumped in, and rushed over to Kyoko, rubbing his soft head on her hand. She smiled and held it out. Akamaru eagerly licked it and ruffed quietly.

Kyoko scrunched her face up at the dog saliva and moved to the bathroom to wash it off. She realized that his breath didn't smell too badly, and she was surprised. "Brush his teeth, too?"

"Well, duh. That would be gross if I didn't. His teeth might rot!" Kiba sounded a bit offended, as Kyoko washed her hands quickly in the bathroom. She returned and sat on her bed, wishing she could lie down and fall asleep. Kiba had tossed his leather jacket on the floor and Akamaru had settled near the door, looking like he was about to fall asleep. "So…" Kiba said, a bit awkwardly.

"What?" Kyoko said, watching him cautiously.

"Well, I dunno. Is this what your room back in Suna looks like?"

"No."

"Oh." Kiba turned from his position on the edge of the bed to look at Kyoko. "Damn. You really wanna sleep, huh?"

Kyoko only nodded her head, letting it flop back and forth.

"Oh. Well, I guess I'm sorry I came then…" He had stood, and was looking a bit ashamed.

"It's okay." Kyoko said through a yawn.

"I'll take Akamaru and head out then…" Kiba reached down to grab his jacket, moving to shove his arms into it.

"You can stay if you want." Kyoko had given up on sitting and flopped sideways into the covers. She was already pulling the blankets over herself.

"And what am I supposed to do if you fall asleep?" Kiba asked, smiling, bemused at her.

"Go to sleep." Kyoko mumbled into her pillow, barely conscious

Kiba shrugged and pulled his pants off before crawling into the bed as well.

…

Kyoko opened her eyes groggily. Seeing the sun streaming through the window, she closed them again and rolled over, turning her face away. She grunted slightly and buried her face into something soft and warm. It smelled like grass and warm body heat, and she smiled slightly, but froze when the thing moved. In the back of her sleep-muddled brain she realized it must be a person, but she decided to go with it. It wrapped its arms across her and she snuggled into them more.

…

"Kyoko… Temari wants me to wake you up." Kyoko heard a lazy voice enter through the bathroom. "Oh…" It receded, and she proceeded to go back to sleep.

"Kyoko! Kyoko, get your fat ass-" Temari stopped, frozen in the bathroom between the two rooms. "When did this happen?" Temari was partly furious, partly excited, but mostly just wanted her friend to wake up. "Whatever…" she grumbled before closing the door and returning to her own room.

A while later, Kyoko woke up to hot breath on the bottom of her foot. She also felt warm moisture against the back of her neck, and that wasn't normal. She opened her eyes, deciding she had probably slept enough. Besides, naps were always a possibility, right?

Kyoko sat up slightly, and felt a heavy arm fall a bit around her waist. She looked down near her foot to see a large white dog blinking at her happily. He had been panting on her foot that was sticking out of the covers. She moved to sit up and found a large, muscular boy with red marks on his face sleeping peacefully next to her. "Not really what I meant, but ohkay…" she muttered. "Kiba." She pushed the boy over so he was lying on his back. "Kiba, wake up!" He twitched a bit, but Kyoko was surprised when he pulled her down into the covers. He wrapped his large arms around her tightly and resumed his sleeping.

"Kiiibaa~a." She whined. "Let go of me." He opened his eyes, almost worried, and loosened his grip. "Come on. We gotta get up."

"But it's still so early!"

Kyoko glanced at the clock she had thrown on her floor the morning before. "It's 10:30!"

"See? I've still got a whole hour left to sleep. It's not like they'll kill us for sleeping. Just rest some."

"I dunno. Kankuro might…" Kyoko muttered under her breath, but she rolled over and pulled the blanket over their heads again. "Ya know, this isn't exactly what I was talking about… There's an empty room across the hall."

"Well how was I supposed to know that?"

"I dunno. Check." She mumbled back.

"But then I might have walked in on Hinata and Naruto, and who wants that? Besides, then I wouldn't have had anyone to keep me warm." Kyoko got the distinct feeling that he was the one keeping her warm, as she could feel the comfortable heat radiating from him, but she didn't say anything.

"You didn't do anything gross after I fell asleep, did you?" Kyoko joked, rolling over to face him beneath the blanket.

Kiba's nose scrunched up, and he bared his teeth slightly. "I wouldn't do that."

"I was joking. Calm down." She said, placing a hand on his chest. He quickly returned to his usual self, and he closed his eyes again, acting asleep. "Are you gonna stay and help clean?"

Kiba opened his eyes again, pondering the question. "Do you guys have breakfast?"

Kyoko rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile. "Yes. I think Gaara was going to try and make waffles. Though, that's a little scary."

"I'm sure Shino can manage Tsunade on his own."

At that moment, Kiba's nose scrunched and his eyes widened. He whipped the covers off of himself and sat up quickly, sniffing the air. As soon as the cool air hit her, Kyoko was greeted by a loud bark form Akamaru directed at the door. "What?" She asked, a bit worried.

Kiba turned to face her, a wide, animalistic grin across his face. "Bacon."

Kyoko's jaw almost dropped. "Really? That's it? I thought we were being attacked or something!"

"Nope, just the best food ever!"

"Does that mean we are getting up?" Kyoko asked, sitting up herself.

"If you want. I would be more than happy to stay here until it's done." He turned back to grin at her.

"Eh. Whatever." She had begun to unravel the braids from her hair, and was reaching for the glasses on the floor next to her bed. "Do me a favor and see if you can find a huge grey sweater somewhere over there." She gestured at the pile of clothes in the corner next to Kiba.

"Do you need this?" Kiba turned to her, holding up the red bra from the night before. Kyoko rolled her eyes and threw a pillow at him.

"You just wanted an excuse to touch my bra. Perv." He grinned slightly at her, then dropped it before rummaging through the pile.

It was only at this moment that Kyoko realized that he had no pants on. Kiba was bent over the pile in a white t-shirt and black and red heart print boxers. "This?" He asked, straightening and holding up a mass of heather grey wool.

"Uhm." Kyoko had to pull her eyes away from him. "Yes, I think that's it." She held out her hand, expecting him to toss it to her.

"Well, come and get it." He said with a bit of an evil glint in his eye.

"Toss it to me." She said, impatiently brushing her hair back.

"Nuh-uh. You got a nice view, now it's my turn." Kyoko flushed a bit, but stood defiantly.

"Teme." She muttered, snatching it roughly from him.

"What?" He asked innocently.

Kyoko glared up at him, and he grinned back, leaning down. He kissed her quickly and she pulled back. "Hey. I did not say you could do that."

"Guess it's a good thing I wasn't asking." He replied, bending quickly and picking her up, tossing her back onto the bed. She flopped unceremoniously and her hair flew in her mouth. She spat it back out, before being attacked again by his lips.

After a bit of a struggling that was only half-hearted on Kyoko's end, she managed to push him away, she sat, her knees on either side of Kiba, holding him at arm's length. "You're too cocky for you own good." Kyoko said, throwing him to the side and sitting up. "Someday, you're gonna do this to a girl who doesn't have as much patience as I do, and you're gonna get your ass handed to you on a silver platter."

Kiba simply shrugged, and said "I doubt that." before sitting up himself.

Kyoko rolled her eyes. "Can we go now? I wonder what Temari and Shikamaru told people…"

"Can I have another kiss before we leave?"

"No." Kyoko stood, adjusting her sweater and glasses.

"Why not?" The puppy boy whined, joined by his adorable white friend.

"Cuz I said so." She had started to the door, but when she reached for the handle, she found herself flipped around. Kiba had pinned her to the wall, somehow managing to trap both her hands and grip them tightly above her head. "Hey!" She protested, but was cut off by his lips on hers.

She felt his sharp canines move against her lip, and decided not to struggle. What was the point? This was fun. She kissed back, and soon found herself nipping lightly at his lip. He smiled into the kiss and slid his tongue against her mouth before pulling back.

Kyoko pouted a bit. "Hey, no fair getting me all riled up before breakfast."

"Well, I think I could manage to fix that problem for you." He said, swooping in for another quick kiss.

"Maybe later." She said, pushing him away with one arm. She shoved him away and pulled the door open, allowing Akamaru to bound through it. He barked loudly as he ran down the hallway, no doubt making sure everyone was awake and announcing Kiba's presence. Kyoko glanced back at Kiba before padding quietly down the hall. A few seconds later, Kiba joined her, obviously having adjusted a few things.

…

_Next comes breakfast! Which I think is actually one of my favorites so far. So be sure to review and tell me how much my stuff sucks :p_


	5. Breakfast

_Here ya all go :)_

_.-__ Thank you for your super long review, and I hope you didn't mind my messy message too much… I realized after I sent it that it has horrible spelling and some bad grammar, but in my defense, I was in the middle of a studyhall with an idiot poking me in the side :)_

_Also, thank you to everyone else who encouraged me to go on! Stay tuned for an important update at the end, but for now, enjoy!_

…

"Ooh! Smells good!" Kyoko exclaimed, entering the kitchen. It had been scrubbed down before the start of breakfast, and now emitted the scrumptious smells of cinnamon buns, waffles and frying eggs and bacon.

"It's a good thing you made the buns yesterday, otherwise we never would have gotten to eat them." Sakura said, pulling a pan out of the oven. She turned to smile at Kyoko, but froze for a second when she spotted Kiba behind her. She quickly recovered and set the pan down on the counter.

"What? No Temari?" Kyoko asked Gaara, reaching across him for a banana.

"She said she was going to go wake Shikamaru up again." Gaara answered, watching the waffle iron intently.

Kyoko shrugged and glanced at Kankuro, who leaned against the counter on the other side of the island, his shirt pulled up to scratch his stomach. His eyes were fixed on Kiba, who Kyoko turned to find in nearly the same position. He stood, a hand under his shirt, his other hand petting Akamaru absently. He didn't seem to notice Kankuro's stare, and she turned back to him. Kankuro pulled his arm out to rest it on the counter, and gave her a quizzical look. Kyoko waved her hands at him, saying _Calm down, I'm fine. _"So, how many waffles did you burn, Gaa-kun?" Kyoko teased gently, hopping up to sit on the island next to the Kazekage.

"It took me a while, but Sakura showed me how to make delicious waffles." He pulled the next one out of the iron and ripped a piece off, holding it up to Kyoko. She took it, blowing on it gently before popping it in her mouth.

"Oh, Gaara, that is yummy!" She said, smiling down at him. He smiled a bit back in pride, and she patted him on the head like a toddler. "Where's Naruto and Hinata? Anyone seen them yet?"

"Nah." Kankuro said, moving to lean on the counter on the other side of Kyoko. "Originally we were gonna wake everyone up at 9, but Shikamaru fell back asleep, and then you… didn't wanna get up." He trailed off, glancing behind him at Kiba, who was trying to sneak bits of cinnamon roll to Akamaru. "Oh, and Lee decided to go for a run. He tried to convince Tenten to go with, but she told him to 'fuck off' very loudly and went back to sleep."

Almost as if on cue, a rumpled-looking Tenten appeared in the doorway. She had a comfy-looking pair of capri sweatpants and a tanktop on, and her usual tight buns were flopped down to somewhere around her ears. "Did Lee get back yet?"

Gaara shook his head and Sakura said "no."

"He probably told himself that because I wouldn't go, he had to do 80 million laps or something." She mumbled, reaching for a waffle, and dunking it in a bowl of syrup.

"Am I allowed to have a cinnamon bun yet?" Kiba asked. Kyoko turned to look at him when she realized he was talking to her.

"Huh? Why are you asking me?"

"Well, Sakura wouldn't let me have any, and she said that if I wanted some I had to ask you cuz you made them."

"Oh… Well, we should probably wait for the others." She mused, thinking about how much Hinata liked cinnamon buns. Her eyes lit up, and she turned back to Kiba. "Can I borrow Akamaru for a couple minutes?"

"Only if I can come." He said, wanting in on whatever joke she had planned.

"Okay!" She said, hopping down from the counter. She clicked for Akamaru to follow her, which he did willingly.

She stopped a bit down the hall and knelt face-to-face with the big puppy. They had a following. Kiba stood behind Akamaru and Kankuro's and Sakura's curious faces could be seen behind him.

Kyoko grinned then whispered to Akamaru, making sure he understood. "Got it?" She asked, standing.

Akamaru let out a tiny yip and nodded his huge head.

"Okay…" Kyoko murmured, moving to the door behind which Naruto and Hinata were sleeping. She moved her hand slowly and quietly, and watched the big dog. Akamaru stood ready, and she flung the door open.

Akamaru barked loudly and jumped in the room and onto the bed. He continued to bounce like he was on crack, woofing and yipping with all his might.

Naruto had been sprawled across the left side of the bed, blankets twisted around him in odd directions, and Hinata had been laying straight on her back on the right. Once they heard Akamaru's bark, they had both sat up, Hinata's Byakugan activating and Naruto reaching for a kunai that lay on the floor next to his pants. As their brains slowly began to function, they noticed a huge white fluffy thing was coming for them, and dove out of the bed. Naruto had scrambled like a cartoon character, and ended up sitting against the wall with the kunai in his hand and the blankets still wrapped around his legs. Hinata on the other hand, had jumped out and stood leaning against the opposite wall, a hand over her heart.

Kyoko was cracking up. She was laughing so hard, she had to bend over to try and catch her breath. Akamaru, his job done had moved to nose her forehead as she bent over, looking for praise. She petted his head, and managed to choke out a "Good job!" before she rolled into fresh peals of laughter.

Kiba was leaning against the doorframe laughing his ass off, and Kankuro was holding onto his shoulder for support. Sakura was standing wide-eyed behind him, a hand covering her mouth and obviously trying not to laugh. Gaara had managed to float his way into the door next to Kankuro, and he stood, his eyes transfixed on the scene in front of him. His face twitched a bit, and he graciously turned so Tenten could see as well.

"Time for breakfast!" Kyoko managed once her laughter had died down a bit. Hinata simply looked traumatized, and Naruto's face looked like he was torn between anger and laughing himself. "Oh, and I made cinnamon buns." She said over her shoulder as she shooed the others away.

Hinata's face brightened considerably, and she said "Okay, just let me change."

"Don't worry about it." She grabbed Hinata's hand. "Nobody cares. I mean, Naruto is headed out already, and Kankuro and Kiba have been out there wandering around in boxers for hours." She dragged the other girl into the kitchen.

…

Thankfully, it was a large kitchen, as Lee had returned, and now everyone was clamoring for food. They all piled their plates with bacon, eggs and Gaara's waffles, though they were rationed to only one cinnamon bun. Kyoko perched on the counter until everyone else was finished, before sliding down to fill her own plate. She returned to find that Gaara and Kankuro had strategically placed themselves on either end of the island, leaving her the spot in the middle. She was isolated, and she could see the protective look in their eyes. _Well, guess they got over Shikamaru. _She thought, shrugging and sitting cross legged between them.

A few moments later, Temari appeared, draped in a loose kimono with a half-asleep looking Shikamaru behind her. "What was all that noise?" She asked, looking around. "And you guys ate without us? Jerks." She grabbed a plate and handed it to Shikamaru before filling her own.

"Oh, it was nothing. Just waking Naruto and Hinata up." Kyoko said, giggling and looking over at her friends. Naruto was muching on eggs sleepily, and Hinata seemed entranced by the cinnamon bun in her hand.

…

The group spent breakfast laughing and joking, though it could be hard to hear with so many different conversations going on at once. Soon enough, the food supply was greatly depleted, and Naruto was fighting with Kankuro over the last piece of Bacon. Gaara had managed to sneak the very last cinnamon bun, and when Hinata noticed, she looked about ready to cry. He stood there a moment, trying to look inconspicuous, before holding it out to her, and holding a finger to his lips in a "shh" motion. Kyoko saw and smiled slightly. Gaara could be so sweet, he just had to work up the courage to do it. When Hinata received the roll, she looked up at him like he had given her the Holy Grail or something. Obviously a bit uncomfortable, Gaara returned to Kyoko's side, and busied himself with throwing plastic plates out.

"I think we ran out of food." Kyoko announced.

Temari smiled across to her friend. "Guess we better get a move on with the cleaning, huh?"

"Yo, Kiba!" Kyoko called. The boy looked up, and his ears seemed to perk up at his name.

"Yea?"

"I have a job for you." Kyoko smiled at him, taking him by the arm and leading him over to the sink. "Oh look! I think Shikamaru is gonna help you!"

Kyoko looked back at Temari and gestured to the dirty dishes with her head. Catching on, she hopped off the counter and pulled the lazy boy over as well, filling his arms with mixing bowls and silverware. "Oh look! You boys get to do the dishes! Yay!" Temari said. Shikamaru muttered something along the lines of "Mendokusai." and dropped the dishes into the sink, before filling it with hot water.

"Come on Kiba, have some motivation, like Shika, here!" Kyoko teased, shoving the bottle of soap into his hands. He rolled his eyes but turned to the sink with Shikamaru.

Kyoko turned back to the rest of the kitchen and first realized that Gaara and Kankuro had magically disappeared. Sakura and Tenten were collecting dishes and piling them by the sink for the boys, and Lee stood at attention in the middle of the room, obviously waiting for someone to tell him what to do. "Here Lee, you like dusting?" Kyoko asked, taking him by the elbow and leading him into the livingroom.

…

Soon enough, everyone had a job and was chatting away happily. Gaara had returned from hiding and ended up moving furniture with Kankuro. Kyoko shook her head at the scene of the livingroom as she passed through with laundry. The couch was suspended with sand and nearly invisible chakra strings as Sakura vacuumed underneath it. Lee rushed around, dusting and adjusting pictures and ornaments while Tenten and Temari tidied up the numerous bathrooms.

Kyoko added the dirty rags and towels from the kitchen to her basket and headed down the hall. Once she reached the end, she expertly balanced the full basket on her hip and slid the door open. Knowing she would be in there a while, she opened the large window of the utility room and let the air blow over her. Hearing a yip, she leaned out. "Oh! Hi Akamaru. Are you being good?" She asked, smiling down at the dog, who looked up at her innocently. She smiled and retracted her head, setting to separate the colors and whites.

Soon enough, Kyoko had four piles and the dryer was rumbling pleasantly in the background. She was dancing and wiggling to the music in her head when she heard a chuckle behind her and whipped around. Kiba stood in the door, smiling and watching her.

"What?" She asked.

"Oh nothing, continue." He took a few steps into the room, watching her intently.

"You know, you're kinda turning into a stalker." Kyoko said, folding the last of Kankuro's boxers and adding it to the pile on the left. "If you're gonna come in here, at least make yourself useful." She said, lifting the nearest pile and holding it out to him. "Gaara. Put it on the bed." He shrugged and winked at her before leaving.

Kyoko was finishing sorting through Temari's and her own underwear when he returned. "Here, this one is Kankuro's." She said, handing it to him before scooping up the next two piles and following him out. She expertly dropped her pile on her bed and kicked Shikamaru to wake him up when she found him on Temari's bed. "Here, put these away." She said, handing him the pile and rolling her eyes as she left.

Once everything had been given to their respective owners, Kyoko headed to the livingroom to find it looking nicer than it had before the party. Soon, Kiba showed up with Kankuro and everyone stood, looking over their handiwork.

"Man, after last night, that was not very relaxing." Tenten said, retiring to an armchair.

"Well we got everything done in what?" Sakura leaned to the side to see a clock. "Half an hour or so."

"Yea, I say we make a trip to the big baths. Relax a bit." Kyoko said, smiling, and unbuttoning her sweater a bit.

"Anyone got anything else to do today?" Temari asked.

She got mixed answers. Lee exclaimed about honing his youth with training, while Hinata mumbled something about a meeting and Naruto embarrassedly asked her if she wanted some ramen. Kiba cut her off when she protested, saying Shino had already done the meeting, and had sent wannabe fleas just to show how much he wasn't bothered by it. Naruto punched the air happily at the yes she nodded after. Tenten said she needed to supervise Lee and should probably get Neji out of the house as well, and Sakura said she had a shift at the hospital. That left Temari, Kankuro, Gaara, Kiba, Shikamaru, and Kyoko.

"Well, if it's just us left, anyone wanna go on a picnic after?" Temari asked, turning to her brothers and friend.

"Sounds like fun." Kankuro said, ruffling his hair.

"Sure." Gaara agreed.

"Come on, let's go grab our stuff for the baths." Kyoko answered, pulling Temari after her. They left all the boys in the livingroom and headed to their separate rooms, shutting the door tightly behind them. Returning to a habit the girls had developed years ago, they each opened the door to the adjoining bathroom.

"So. Kiba?" Temari asked, pulling her kimono off and tossing it onto the bed.

"What about him?" Kyoko asked, stripping as well.

"Well, he has been watching you all morning. And when the hell did he get here last night?" Temari asked eagerly, pulling her pants down to pee.

"I dunno. He kinda just showed up." Kyoko said, standing in the door to talk to her friend while pulling on a pair of sweatpants.

"Well, what do you think about him? You obviously let him stay."

"I dunno! He is a sweetheart, and everything, but he lives here. And I live there." Kyoko pulled her sweater back on and reached around Temari, who was washing her hands, to grab a towel. "But when he kisses me. Ah!" She said, leaning on the counter. "It's so hard to explain, but I've never had someone make me feel that way the first time I kiss them."

Temari looked at her friend with a bit of pity on her face. "Poor girl. I'm sorry. Did you want me to not invite him to the picnic?"

"No, it's fine." Kyoko said, grabbing her bag and slinging it over her shoulder. "I guess kinda just let him tag along for now, and maybe a bit later I'll decide what I wanna do with him." She followed Temari into her room and leaned on the dresser as her friend shoved a couple things into her own bag.

"You're a horrible person, you know that?" Temari asked, smiling slightly.

"I know, but really, what am I supposed to do? I'm not mean enough to say yes then just ignore him when I can't talk back in Suna. I'm not like you. You guys just work so well."

Temari snorted at this statement, but pulled her door open. "Come on." She said exasperatedly.

…

_For all you guys reading this…. Yes that is actually how it works in real life. And eavesdropping has serious consequences. :)_

_Okay, so update: I am at the end of my school year, and I am graduating. (Please no stalkers and/or rapists)This means I have a lot to do with Prom, finals and graduation, and not much time to do it all. Therefore, I cannot promise any updates until the end of June. If I happen to have the time, I will try to write a chapter, but no promises that you will get it because I refuse to post crappy work. So I hope you all have a good month and feel free to message me. That I will still check and answer :p_


	6. The Bathhouse

_Okay, here I am after my lovely weekend of camping to take the time to leave you guys this lovely filler chapter ^_^ You better appreciate it :P_

…

Finally, the girls had made it to the bath. They had made the boys promise not to leave the house, Gaara swearing to control their raucous behavior, and had managed to haul the entirety of their clothes and bags through town. Now they were relaxing in the warm waters.

"Soo….. Kiba." Sakura said, leaning her head back.

Kyoko's face flushed a bit, and she glanced around at her other friends. Tenten was watching her curiously and Hinata was pink.

"What about him?" Kyoko asked, knowing no one else was going to answer.

"Oh. I just noticed that he definitely was not there when I went to bed last night… But he was there this morning. Coming out of your room. In his boxers." Sakura tilted her head to watch Kyoko.

"Oh. Uhmm…." She muttered, looking down at the water.

"Yea, I was wondering, but I didn't wanna say anything that would make me sound stupid." Tenten added, looking on curiously.

"Leave her alone, guys." Temari said, noticing her friend's uncomfortable-looking face and her sudden muteness. "It's not like its some big deal that we spend the night with guys, I mean, you stayed with Lee last night." Temari looked at Tenten. "And you even slept in the same bed as Naruto." She looked at Hinata.

Sakura's face fell a bit, her lack of man having been pointed out, but she soon brightened. "Well, he's a great guy, Kyoko."

"Yes! Kiba-kun is a real gentleman." Hinata added, looking adorable with her hair pinned up and the towel resting on her head.

Kyoko smiled. "I don't know why Naruto hasn't noticed you yet… Did anything go on last night that you wanna share?" She was very curious, but gentle, not wanting to make Hinata uncomfortable.

"Not really." Hinata looked down. "I was a bit uncomfortable when he flopped down on the bed next to me, but I managed." She looked up proudly. "He is really warm. Usually I freeze when I sleep, but last night I was warm."

"Yea, guys have that kind of weird superpower." Temari said, splashing water over her shoulders.

"So no cuddling?" Sakura asked, very curious about her banana-headed friend.

Hinata flushed even more. She wasn't used to this attention. "No… I did wake up at one point and he had flung his arm over me, but I don't think that was on purpose, and I just… uhm… Went back to sleep." They all knew this was code for fainted, but they let her be.

"Hm. So what? The only one of us with any semblance of a functioning relationship is you, Tenmari. Tell us, what's it like?" Sakura asked.

Temari laughed. "I don't think I'd really call it functioning…"

"Oh, you always make it sound bad, but you guys work so well. You love him, and I know he loves you. I mean come on; he didn't fall asleep at all when he came to visit for your birthday. He even helped me make dinner." The other girls were impressed at Kyoko's words, and Temari looked into the water, blushing and smiling a bit.

"Okay, okay."

Tenten sighed. "I wish I could get that."

…

As the girls dressed themselves again, they talked about their plans for later that day, and the new developments in the village.

"What should we make for lunch?" Temari asked Kyoko as she pulled on a purple shirt.

"I dunno. I wonder if Gaara will want to make peanut butter and honey sandwiches again… He really has been honing his cooking skills, huh?" Kyoko answered, wiggling into a pair of jeans.

"Maybe. Though, you have to admit, they were pretty yummy."

"I guess let's see what we have in the fridge when we get back. We have to eat it all before we leave anyways." Kyoko responded, shoving her old clothes back in her bag. "Are you sure you guys can't come picnic with us?"

"Sorry, I took off last night for the party; I've got a double shift tonight." Sakura said as she took her hair down and shook it out.

"I'll never hear the end of it if I don't train with the boys today." Tenten added, yanking her bag shut.

"And Hinata has a date with Naruto-kun. Right?" Kyoko smiled, and Hinata nodded her head excitedly.

"Ohkay," Kyoko sighed. "You guys don't know what you're missing. Garra has some pretty kick-ass sandwiches." She smiled at her friends. "Guess it's just us, Tem. We should head out."

…

Kyoko opened the door and saw a hilarious scene. Gaara lay on the couch, an arm flung over his eyes, mouth gaping open. Kankuro was sprawled across a loveseat, his leg hanging off the end and his arm off the side. Kiba and Naruto had managed to situate themselves on the other couch, and Naruto was holding onto Kiba's leg like it was a pillow, his face smushed against Kiba's foot. Kiba lay on his stomach, his head hanging over the side of the couch, and Akamaru settled next to him.

The girls looked at each other and giggled. Of course they had fallen asleep. So much for destructive behavior. "Guess we better wake them up, huh?" Temari asked and dropped her bag. She began with Kankuro, tickling the bottom of his foot carefully. After a few seconds, he jerked awake, wiping a bit of drool off his face and saying "Wha? Whaz goin on?" looking around.

"Gaa~raa." Kyoko sang in her friend's ear, hoping to wake him gently. He lifted his arm and opened one eye to look up at her. "Wake up." She said with a smile, and he sat up, rubbing his eyes.

Naruto was now awake and rubbing his eyes as well, his hair sticking up even more than usual. The only one left was Kiba and of course, Akamaru. She looked around, but it seemed to be up to Kyoko to wake them. She walked over to Kiba and looked down, planning her best strategy. Deciding to go for the basics, she reached down and gripped some of his hair between her fingers and yanked.

His head lifted off the couch slightly, but simply flopped back down when she let go. "Hmm…" Kyoko mused. She moved to the back of the couch and planted her hands firmly on his side before giving a strong push. Kiba rolled and toppled onto the floor with a loud thunk, which woke Akamaru up. He yipped loudly, and the noise along with impact seemed to bring Kiba back to his senses. He rolled over and looked blearily up at Kyoko. "Mornin, sunshine." She said, grinning widely.

Kiba grinned back and sat up, seemingly about to say something, but his face fell a bit when he realized that everyone else was watching him as well, Kankuro and Gaara a bit murderously, and Temari mischievously.

"Come on. We are getting ready for the picnic." Kyoko said, hauling Kiba up by the arm. "Don't you have somewhere to go?" She asked Naruto, smiling. It seems as though Lee had not participated in the group nap, and at her words, Naruto jumped of the couch.

"Right!" He exclaimed, rushing back to the other room to grab his pants and jacket.

"Naruto!" Kyoko called as he came out of the room. "Do me a favor and take a shower before you go meet Hinata." She giggled a bit; glad he isn't easily offended and hugged him before shoving him out the door.

"Ohkay! On to making lunch!" Kyoko exclaimed, turning around to be greeted by blank stares.

…

_A bit boring, I know, but next one starts a bit of a juicy arc, so be prepared! And please review. I love hearing from you guys annd I do my best to check out all your stories when I see someone's name a couple times :)_


	7. The Talk

_I guess I lied about the break... Though things have been a bit slow... I hope you all enjoy this new part, where it starts to get a bit more interesting._

…

Kyoko stood in her room, looking around for anything else she might need. She had a large tote sitting on her bed, which included a blanket, a scroll of senbon and some hairpins. Sunglasses, chapstick and her wallet sat next to it, and she held a pair of black flipflops in her hand. Shrugging, she tossed everything into the bag then turned to her door, finding a large teenage boy walking in, buttoning his pants.

"Hey, thanks, Kyoko, for doing my laundry. I would've had to go home to grab more clothes, and I think I'd rather stay here." His words had begun as a simple thanks, but he had moved closer and pulled Kyoko in by the waist as he spoke, punctuating them with a quick, but zealous kiss.

Kyoko simply rolled her eyes, pushing him away and walking out the door. She deposited her bag on the couch once she reached it and headed back to the kitchen. "How's it going?" She asked, stepping up behind Gaara and peeking over his shoulder.

"I don't think we will be going hungry anytime soon." He said, as he smeared peanut butter over a piece of bread.

Kyoko rested her chin on his shoulder, having to stand on her toes to be tall enough to reach. "Uhuh… Well, with you and Shikamaru, but especially Kankuro and Kiba, I don't think they will last very long." She smiled and stuck her finger under the line of honey Gaara was drizzling across another piece of bread. Kyoko sucked on her finger as she grabbed enough chopsticks for each of them and entered the livingroom to deposit them in the basket they had found conveniently placed in the pantry.

"Aren't you supposed to be getting drinks or something?" Kyoko asked Kankuro, who was, once again, sprawled across a couch. He had reverted a bit to his usual fashion and changed into black pants and a black tee after his shower. Objectively, he looked pretty handsome, and had left the purple paint behind, except for a single stripe down his nose, which had the effect of showing his warrior side without going overboard or scaring anyone who knew his reputation.

"Eh, I'm gonna have to stop on the way there."

"Lazy bum."

"Hey." Kankuro said, too dramatically to actually be offended. He stood and pointed a finger at Kyoko. "What did you just call me?"

"I called you a lazy bum." Kyoko placed a hand on her hip and watched him with level eyes, though she couldn't stop the edge of her mouth from twitching into a smile.

"I am not!" Kankuro half-whined half-shouted comically. He flung his arms down to his sides in a temper tantrum. "You're a jerk!"

"And what are you gonna do about it?" Kyoko smiled as she teased her friend. Gaara had drifted to the doorway, honey in hand, to watch the developing spectacle.

Kankuro ran at Kyoko, his shoulders hunched in an attack to tackle her onto the couch behind her, but at the last moment, she stepped out of the way. He flopped onto the couch by himself and yelled as he turned around to face her again. "I'm gonna get you."

"I don't think so." Kyoko said, watching him, even though she knew what came next.

Kankuro stood and raised his hand, flinging strings of his chakra at her. Kyoko attempted to dodge, but was caught by a single strand that hadn't come from the same direction as the others. She struggled as Kankuro approached and smiled evilly at her. "What now?" He asked, holding out a hand like a threat.

Kyoko was in the throes of a fake-play panic. "Come on, Kankuro! Leave me alone!"

He continued reaching towards her, but froze a few inches from her side as he heard a deep growl from behind him. They both turned to look at the noise to find Kiba halfway between the hallway and them, his nose scrunched and teeth bared. "Leave her alone." He took a couple more steps forward to where Kyoko and Kankuro stood completely frozen in shock. "I said leave her alone." He glared daggers at Kankuro, who was beginning to get a bit irritated. His strings had long since dissipated, and Kyoko, regaining her brain function, looked between the two. Kiba was obviously pissed and ready for a tussle, and she saw the beginning of a fight forming in Kankuro's eyes, so she stepped between them.

"Kiba, look, I'm fine. See?" She held up her hands and gestured to her body, but Kiba's eyes were locked with Kankuro's. "Kiba. Hey!" She punched him in the chest, and he turned to look at her, his hackles seeming to settle. "He was only going to tickle me. Kankuro would never hurt me." She turned to look at Kankuro and he stared back at Kiba, his face unreadable.

Kiba relaxed. "Okay. I guess I overreacted a bit. I'm sorry." His face was apologetic and he looked at Kankuro, who silently nodded his head before turning and beginning to walk towards the kitchen where Gaara still stood. Temari and Shikamaru had reappeared and stood watching, Temari's eyebrows raised at Kyoko.

Kyoko twitched her head a bit in the direction of the kitchen and Temari got the hint, pulling her brothers and boyfriend into the kitchen and leaving Kiba and Kyoko alone.

"What is your problem?" Kyoko rounded on Kiba.

"What? I was just trying to watch out for you!"

"There's nothing to watch out for! In case you didn't know, I'm a ninja. A pretty damn good one if I do say so myself." She didn't know what to think about what had just happened, and hid her confusion under anger.

"Well, I heard someone scream and I knew it was you, so I just…" Kiba trailed off, trying to avoid Kyoko's eyes and scratching the back of his head.

"Yea, we mess around. I grew up with these guys, so he is like a brother. Kankuro was gonna tickle me, just like he always does. Trust me. Kankuro would never hurt me, and if he did, I would kill the imposter in less than a second."

Kiba looked up, intrigued by the conviction and confidence in her voice. "You guys are really that close, huh?"

Kyoko moved to the couch, adding the oddments to the basket. "Well, they are my family. My real one didn't do too great a job with that, and neither did theirs, so we kinda banded together."

Her back was to Kiba, but he heard the sincerity in her voice. "I'm sorry I shouted at Kankuro." Kyoko turned, raising her eyebrows at him. "And growled at him…" Kiba looked ashamed of himself and was staring at the ground, a hand resting on the back of his head.

"It's okay. Just don't make the same mistake twice." Kyoko walked back up to Kiba and smiled slightly at him.

"So, do I get a kiss for apologizing?" Kiba asked, his melancholy demeanor almost evaporating.

"I dunno. You did something pretty bad." Kyoko half-teased.

In one swift movement, Kyoko was in Kiba's arms and had her lips pressed to his.

"You know, I don't know why you keep asking. It's not like you wouldn't do it if I said no." She said when he released her. Bemused, she looked up at the wolfish boy.

"So… pretty much, I don't have to ask anymore?" Kiba mused, looking up then down at Kyoko, his arm still wrapped tight around her ribs. He swooped in for another kiss after this conclusion, and pulled back, grinning widely.

Kyoko only rolled her eyes, then, spotting Temari peeking around the edge of the doorway, rolled her eyes again with a sigh, and pushed Kiba away firmly. "Here. You carry the basket." She shoved it into his arms and walked towards her friends.

"So! How did the sandwich finishing come?" She asked, swooping around the corner and surprising Temari and Kankuro. Shikamaru even looked a little guilty, though Gaara stood as composed as ever, placing each sandwich caringly into a plastic bag.

"Um... Oh, almost done!" Temari said, looking around for something to pretend she had been working on.

"Yea, yea." Kyoko said, picking up the wrapped sandwiches and stacking them in the empty space of the basket Kiba carried. There seemed to be no problem between Kankuro and Kiba as the latter stood in the kitchen, waiting for the contents to fill his container. _Boys. _Kyoko thought, shaking her head slightly.

…

They had decided to picnic on the edge of a training ground that wasn't used much, and were about half-way there when Kankuro swore loudly.

"What?" Temari and Kyoko asked, looking around quickly. Gaara's eyes scanned his surroundings silently for any threat.

"I forgot the fucking drinks. Dammit." Kyoko saw a hint of theatrics in his actions, but knew they did actually need some sort of hydration, and looked around.

"Well, I think we would have to go back. We walked past everything." Temari said.

"I know." Kankuro sighed. "Kyoko, wanna come with me to help choose and carry?"

"Can you-?" Kyoko was cut off by Kankuro.

"I'm sure Temari can direct them to set up the picnic properly."

"I'll come with you!" Kiba chipped in, smiling widely as Akamaru yipped.

Temari grabbed his elbow and said "Come on doggy boy. They always do this." She pulled him down the street distracting him with the yummy food she had made.

Kankuro and Kyoko meandered down the street towards the convenience store. After a few minutes they reached it and Kankuro held the door open for her. She headed for the back where they had chilled drinks. Soon, Kankuro joined her in her perusal of choices.

"So. Kiba." Kankuro said, his eyes specifically focused on the drinks.

"Why does everyone keep saying that to me?" Kyoko exclaimed, turning to face him.

"Well, he seems to be a pretty big topic around you lately."

"Why, because he made it obvious that he kissed me in the closet?" She was getting a bit irritated with all these questions.

"No. Because neither of you are hiding the fact that the kisses didn't stop outside the closet. At least, not very well."

"How do you know that?" She was staring at Kankuro.

"Because I have a brain and I tend to do my best to keep an eye on you." He opened the door and pulled out a pack of Fanta. "How about this? You guys like it right?"

"Gaara and I would rather have Melon. Are you saying you've been spying on us?" Kyoko faltered a second. "On me?" she corrected quickly.

"No. I'm saying that I know you, and I'm pretty sure I have an idea as to Kiba's thoughts. I've also noticed how he keeps following you anytime you are alone and then you end up walking out with him following you again." Kankuro was very calm as he spoke and handed Kyoko the soda, which was odd as he was usually one of the more emotional of the group. "Oh, and a couple times your hair was messed up. And he would be fixing his clothes."

Kyoko was flabbergasted. _Was it really that obvious? And often?_ She thought back. There had been quite a few times… and Kankuro was right… that was usually how it went.

"Maybe you should talk to him. Figure out exactly what he is wanting and what you're willing to give." Kankuro's words pulled Kyoko out of her thoughts and she looked up. He stood with a box of sweet green tea over his shoulder and the orange Fanta from earlier in his hand. "I mostly just wanted to talk to you a bit so that I could make sure you were okay and nothing crazy was happening." He paused, looking at Kyoko expectantly, and she shook her head quickly, signaling him to not worry. "And to let you know that he wouldn't be the worst choice you could make… I think he would take good care of you."

Kyoko's mouth nearly dropped. This was Kankuro. Standing here in front of her with his purple paint and messy brown hair was the boy who had picked on her from the time he met his sister's friend, but beat up the boys they had trained with when they said mean things to her. This was the same boy who had been her first kiss and told her that even though they didn't work out, nobody would ever be good enough for her, but it was okay to look because he would make sure that the scumbags didn't hurt her. And he was giving her the OK for a boy. A ninja.

She was baffled, but her brain soon reeled around to him giving her the OK almost like she had asked. "Hey! Who said I wanted to date or do anything with Kiba?" She asked, following the black back towards the cash register.

"Well, obviously you wanna do something with him. I know you, and if you don't like him as much as you try to make me think, he would be gone and he wouldn't have come back. You would have made sure of that." Kankuro still didn't look at her as he dropped his load on the counter and waited for the man to ring it up.

Kyoko dropped her soda as well and stood half-pouting, half-glaring up at Kankuro as she waited. He noticed and looked down at her. He sighed, turning to face her. "Listen, Kyoko. I could be a lot meaner about this, but Kiba is a good guy. And you are a smart girl. I figured this was probably gonna happen eventually, even with your toys back in Suna, but I'd rather you choose Kiba. He will watch out for you, and then all I have to worry about is Temari with that horny, lazy ass and Kara." Kankuro still hadn't quite gotten over the time they had walked in on Temari making out with Shikamaru, and he was always worried about his girlfriend. He handed the man the money and hoisted the large box easily back on his shoulder, turning towards the door. Kyoko grabbed the bag with the soda and followed him. "Besides, I like to think that if anyone ever hurt you and you couldn't deal by yourself for whatever reason, you would know where to go." He smiled down at her affectionately, and Kyoko smiled, looking ahead.

"Don't worry. Temari knows which ice cream flavors are my favorite."

Kankuro shook his head, but didn't say anything. He knew exactly what would happen if Kyoko ever got hurt. Emotionally, that is.

…

_Now, Go and review :)_

_And keep an eye out for a collection of one-shots and a re-writing of Heaven in the Clouds!  
_


	8. Goodbye

_I really hope you guys like it... please review._

…

Kankuro and Kyoko made it to the training grounds, sipping on the sweet liquid they had brought with them. They found Gaara sitting in the middle of the large blanket, playing with a butterfly that had landed on his finger. Temari was lying across one end of the blanket, her head resting in Shikamaru's lap, and Kiba, on the other hand, bounded up behind Akamaru to greet them. Akamaru licked Kyoko's knee affectionately and wagged his tail enthusiastically, while Kiba quickly grabbed the bag she was carrying and pulled her into his side with one arm. When he let her go, he ran over to the blanket saying "Yes! I am soo thirsty!" He dropped a tea into Shikamaru's lap, the latter catching it before it had the chance to hit Temari.

"Calm down!" Kyoko laughed, following him and handing Gaara a melon soda. His eyes lit up and he quickly twisted the cap off, taking a large swig. Kyoko smiled and plopped down near Temari, sipping her own drink again.

Kiba soon settled next to Kyoko, and Kankuro had lounged next to Gaara, so they were ready. "Can we eat now?" Kankuro asked, lifting the lid of the basket.

"Ye~ess!" Temari answered exasperatedly.

Kankuro excitedly flipped the basket open and begun to toss sandwiches to people, but was stopped by Gaara. "I will not let you treat my food like that!" Kankuro's wrist was tight in Gaara's grip, and he dropped the sandwich he was holding, sitting back. Gaara gently took a sandwich out and handed it to Kyoko, who smiled and said thank you.

Once everyone had taken the lovingly handed sandwich, they dug in. The food was delicious, and after half an hour, they had begun to run out. Kyoko watched Kankuro and Kiba fight for the last sandwich as she fed pieces of pickled carrots to Akamaru and sipped her soda.

Soon, Shikamaru had settled into his nap position, and Kankuro had sprawled happily in the sun, lavishing in his sandwich victory. Temari was reading a manga happily next to Shikamaru, and Kyoko was bored. It was sunny, but she was only a little bit tired. She stood, and Temari looked up at her. "Walk." She explained, and Temari returned to her story. She sat off, wandering across the clearing and into the woods, trying not to think about anything too important.

She heard a crunch behind her, and immediately leapt into a tree above her, and glared down, gripping the senbon in her fingers tightly. She heard another twig snap and saw a figure round the corner of the path. "Come down, Kyoko. I'm not gonna hurt you, geez." It was Kiba. Kyoko sighed and dropped, the skirt of her sundress fluttering around her knees.

"Way to freak me out. You know, if you wanted to come, you just had to ask." She turned and continued her walk.

"Well, I had to wait for Akamaru to fall asleep."

"What, wanted some alone time?" Kyoko teased, turning to the boy next to her.

"Well, I thought he might… Get in the way." He had grabbed Kyoko's arm, and swung her around with the grace of a ballroom dancer so she faced him.

"Kiba-" Kyoko said, dodging his lips, and pushing him slightly.

"What?" He asked, standing in front of her with an inexplicable look on his face.

"Is that all you want?"

There was a bit of a pause. "You mean you want more?" Kyoko could see him trying to wrap his thoughts around the feelings of a girl.

"No- I mean… That's not what I meant." Kyoko finally managed, flapping a hand at him.

"Well, what did you mean?" This was not his forte, and it showed.

"I just meant… any time I'm alone, you end up there with me, and you kiss me."

"What? You don't like that? You seemed to enjoy it that first time."

"Well, I dunno. That was different." Kyoko didn't usually do this. Heartfelt conversations weren't really her thing.

"How?" Kiba was genuinely confused, but he mostly just looked cute as he tried to make sense of the situation.

"Well, uhm… That's what was supposed to happen, and I- I hadn't kissed anyone in a while…" Kyoko said that part as quietly as possible. "And I wasn't thinking."

"So you're saying that now that you are thinking, you don't want to kiss me anymore?"

"I'm saying that now that I'm thinking, I don't know what I think!"

"Well, why do you need to think? Isn't the whole point to feel?" Kiba's irritation and Kyoko's volume had pulled him out of his awkward confusion, and now his voice had risen in passion.

"Just feeling gets you hurt. There's a reason we have a brain!"

"So what? You think that I'm just going to throw you aside?"

"I never said that!" Kyoko shouted, glaring at him. "You live here, and I live in Suna, it's not that simple!"

"Why not? Shikamaru and Temari make it work."

"That's different." Kyoko said, looking to the side.

"How?" Kiba had moved closer to her, and took her chin in his hand, turning so that they were looking at each other.

"It just…. Is." Kiba looked down at her, his eyes alive with animal passion and something comforting Kyoko couldn't quite place. She looked up at him, her eyes beginning to tear up a bit. "No. Don't do that." Kiba's voice was gentle, and he swept Kyoko up into his arms, squeezing her tightly and burying his face in her neck and hair.

Kyoko could feel the breakdown coming on. She wedged her hands between their bodies and managed to push Kiba away, holding him away with her hands on his chest. She took a deep breath, staring at the ground. She sniffed a bit, then straightened, making eye contact with Kiba. She forced a bit of a smile.

"That was- quick." Kiba had no clue what to do. He could sniff out a year old trail in a marsh, but just couldn't follow the trail of Kyoko's thoughts and emotions.

"Sorry, I was just a bit overwhelmed." Kyoko looked around, discreetly trying to dry her eyes. "You know, I leave tomorrow."

Kiba wasn't sure if it was a question or a statement, but he answered. "I know."

"Well, Let's do something fun. I don't wanna spend it alone, or even with Gaara or Kanky." She had stopped moving, and stood staring. Little did Kiba know that her brain was in super-distraction mode, and she was running through scenarios at top-speed.

"Well, what do you want to do?" Kiba asked, not sure how to act, or if he should touch her or act like there hadn't been anything between them.

"I don't know. Take me somewhere." Kyoko's smile was half-hearted, but she slid her hand into his and squeezed it reassuringly.

Kiba was set at ease by her smile and the squeeze, and he stopped to think. "How about this? We go for a walk, and do anything we see that looks fun."

Kyoko quickly nodded at his suggestion, but when he moved to lead her down the path, she pulled back and said "Wait. We gotta go back the way we came. I will have major hell if I disappear, and I'm sure Akamaru will want to know where you are."

"Alright, alright." Kiba mumbled, turning around and leading Kyoko back to the picnic site.

The pair wandered Konoha for the rest of the day. Akamaru was always about 5 feet behind them, not being able to bear being apart from Kiba, and having made some sort of agreement with Kankuro to chaperone them. They played games, watched a movie, had snacks, and eventually sat on a bench watching the stars with ice cream.

"Goodbye." Kyoko murmured, still staring at the sky, nearly forgetting about her ice cream.

"Huh?" Kiba had obviously not been listening, and he turned to stare at Kyoko.

"I was just saying I won't see you anymore." She pulled her gaze from the diamond sparkles and turned it to Kiba's face.

"Oh. Maybe not soon, But you will see me again."

Kyoko was not in the mood for an argument, or a deep conversation, or anything, really. Well, maybe some cuddling. And definitely sleep. "Okay."

Kiba watched her for a couple minutes, as Kyoko licked her ice cream. He tossed the rest of his to Akamaru who was under a tree a ways away, and slid an arm around her middle. He pulled Kyoko into his side, and stared up at the sky. "You seem lonely. Do you want me to stay with you?"

"You have a mission tomorrow."

"So? Tomorrow you will be halfway to Suna. I'm not talking about tomorrow. I'm talking about tonight." Kiba leaned his head down so his jaw was resting on the top of Kyoko's head. This was too much, but she was just so tired, and numb, that she managed it. She didn't actually feel much of anything. She could feel later, when she was alone and could figure out what to do about it.

"I don't know… You should probably go home." Kyoko was on a line. She didn't want to be alone, but she was afraid that if Kiba stayed, she wouldn't be able to deal and she would break down. But then again, dealing is what she did best, so for now, the decision was up to Kiba.

They stared at the stars a bit longer before Kiba stood and held a hand out to Kyoko. "Kankuro will do unspeakable things to me if I don't get you back."

Kyoko took his hand and allowed herself to be pulled up. She yawned, and slumped a bit, beginning the trek to the house. Kiba slid an arm around her waist, which was a good thing, as Kyoko was just about ready to fall over.

They finally made it back, and Kyoko was only mostly asleep. They got to the guest compound and Kiba gave up. He swooped and swung Kyoko into his arms, and he carried her into the building, nodding at a woozy Kankuro as he passed the living room. He stumbled down the hall and nudged Kyoko's door open, before managing to wrestle the sheets and blankets down, and adding the female body to the jumble. He smoothed the covers out and pulled them up over Kyoko's body after sliding her shoes off. She opened her eyes some and looked up at him, yawning again.

"Go to sleep Kyoko." He managed a melancholy smile.

At his words, Kyoko's eyes slid shut and she began to drift into oblivion.

Kiba bent down and kissed her tenderly on the forehead. He murmured something inaudible into her hair, and left. He flipped the lights off and glided through the dark house, silent. Akamaru met him outside with a low whine, and they began the walk home, in the dark, alone.

…

_It's the bench. Those damn Konoha benches._

___IDK about where you guys are, but I just wanted to say that here, it's about midnight thirty, and I am exhausted, so do me a favor and review :D  
_


	9. News

_Okay, I am gonna try and be better about posting on Wednesdays, so it is a bit more regular and I don't have to remember when my last update was :p Also, just a note, I have about 3 or 4 buffer chapters so it gets a bit confusing, please forgive any mistakes._

_Also, I know this chapter is kinda short. Sowwy!  
_

...

Kyoko was packed, and ready to go. She was dressed in her usual Kunoichi outfit, and had all of her regular weapons ready to go. The only thing that wasn't ready to go was Kankuro. Even Temari had managed to say goodbye to Shikamaru (rather loudly, as Kyoko had actually been woken from her comatose sleep) in the allotted time. But no, Kankuro couldn't manage it.

The girls sat outside, waiting, as Gaara threatened Kankuro to move faster. "How was your day yesterday?" Temari asked, leaning back on the stone steps.

"It was alright." Kyoko said with a small shrug.

"Uhuh… Kiba not coming to see us off this morning?"

"He has a mission." Kyoko answered.

"He still seems like the type to at least come say goodbye before he leaves." Temari looked over at Kyoko, who sat, staring at the horizon. She inspected her friend carefully. "What did you say to him?"

Kyoko's head whipped around. "I didn't say anything to him." She looked at her friend.

"Oh come on, it's not like you were silent the whole day. How did you guys say goodbye or goodnight or whatever?"

"I dunno. I think I fell asleep, and he took me home." Kyoko turned back to the sky. "It doesn't matter."

"Oh, it definitely matters…" Temari muttered, standing to go yell at her brothers. "Here, watch the stuff. I will be right back."

Kyoko nodded slightly and turned back to her pointless gaze. All she wanted was to get out of here. She wanted a couple days off of missions where she could lock herself in her room and do whatever she wanted. She pondered what she would do with her time, besides trying to sort out her thoughts, and had the idea to visit her old sensei.

She thought about Mei-Sensei. She was probably sitting at her desk trying to avoid doing paperwork at this very moment. Kyoko smiled a bit. Mei-sensei was the woman who had overseen Kyoko's training, and had been through the bitchiness, the injuries and the embarrassment of developing her Kekkei Genkai. Kyoko respected her more than almost anyone else, and she still visited, bringing cookies to talk about life over tea. Maybe before she hid for a week, she would go for a visit to Mei-Sensei. They hadn't talked in quite a while. Before Kyoko left, Mei had been on an ambassador mission and hadn't been home, so she hadn't even gotten to say goodbye.

Kyoko's thoughts were brought back to the present by a screamed "Baka!" and a loud whoosh, followed by a sudden clatter. She decided to go inside to see what damage Temari had done this time. Kyoko opened the door to find Kankuro pushed onto a couch, Gaara with a shell of sand, and Temari standing with her back to Kyoko, breathing heavily.

"Finished?" Kyoko asked evenly, standing with her arms across her chest. Temari straightened, closing her fan, but she didn't turn around. "Good. Now, Kankuro, are you packed yet?"

At Kyoko's words, Kankuro sat up, gave his sister a rather frightening glare, then said "I think so. But-"

Kyoko cut him off. "We will get something to eat on the way. Now get your ass moving!" With that she turned and went back out the door to regain her position.

…

Apparently they were not as done as they said, as Kyoko was still waiting five minutes later. With a sigh, she pulled an edge of her huge skirt up over her knee and grabbed her bo staff next to her. It was long and bamboo with copper caps and swirly designs burned along the length, and Kyoko set to polishing the metal with the hem of her red skirt.

"Polishing again?" Kyoko heard a quiet, deep voice behind her, and she looked up to meet the aqua eyes.

"Yea. Join me." Gaara settled onto the steps next to Kyoko and adjusted his red robe a bit. He was never one to talk much, but Kyoko always knew what he meant. The pair sat in silence as Kyoko polished her weapon and Gaara watched thoughtfully.

"Are you guys ready to go?" An impatient voice asked behind them.

"Yes, Temari." Kyoko said, sarcastically obedient. She stood and pulled her bag onto her shoulder then over her head, letting the strap rest across her sternum. The boys followed and lugged their bags over their shoulders.

Temari's temper was running high, and everyone silently agreed to behave. "Come on, Temari." Kyoko pulled her friend's arm and they set off, down the street. Kankuro and Gaara followed, Gaara giving his big brother a death glare. Kankuro hung his head, and they continued. This was going to be bad. The only thing worse for the two of them than Temari being upset was Kyoko being upset, and now they had to fix the damage Kankuro had done.

Soon, the group had made it to the gates, and they nodded to the guards as they passed. They set off down the path, and were gone.

…

As the day continued, Temari calmed down, and the boys managed to worth their way back into good graces. Soon they were joking and having fun as they travelled and munched on dango and sweet buns.

Finally, on the third day, they made it to Suna, just before dinnertime. Everyone was exhausted, but happy to be home. "You guys wanna grab something to eat on the way home?" Kyoko asked as they walked along, taking in the views of their home.

Everyone agreed, and they stopped at a dango shop. They ordered generously and had a lovely conversation with the old lady who owned it.

They were just discussing the economics in Suna and the Wind when they heard footsteps and "Kazekage-sama!" from behind them. The group turned to look, and found a genin running towards them with a small scroll and a panicked look. He stopped a few feet away and fell to a knee, bowing in respect before looking up and panting "Kazekage-sama… Ebizo-sama sent…." The genin held the scroll out to Gaara, and leaned on his knee, huffing away, trying to catch his breath.

Gaara nodded his head in acknowledgement and opened the scroll. His eyes widened imperceptibly, and he stood, facing away from his siblings and Kyoko. "Mei-sensei was killed on a mission."

Kyoko was immobile. She stared down at the genin. This couldn't be happening. They were going to have breakfast together, like usual. Temari, afraid of what would happen, put a hand on Kyoko's arm. Kankuro slowly turned to look at Kyoko and Gaara stood calmly. "Let's head home. We can investigate there." He took a step to the door, and Kyoko stood. Temari took her left, and Kankuro gripped her right arm tightly. Neither had any idea what was about to happen, but they knew it wouldn't be good. Mei-sensei was the one to take Kyoko under her wing. She was the entire reason that Kyoko was a top Kunoichi and not some schizo in a prison. Mei-sensei was intelligent and she helped Kyoko learn and hone her skills, even though nobody knew exactly what was going on with her Kekkei Genkai.

Kyoko moved numbly behind Gaara, mostly held up by Temari and Kankuro beside her. Mei-sensei. No, this must just be her jutsu gone wrong, or something. She would go home, take a nap, and wake up to realize that everything was okay, and she would talk to Mei-sensei about how to fix it. Everything was fine, this just couldn't be happening…

…

_If you don't know what a bo is, it is a long wooden or bamboo staff used in martial arts. Usually 6ft long._

_See you next Wed.! :)3  
_


	10. Desert

_I lost a lot of my motivation when I lost my documents and pretty much everything about all of my fanfictions... but earlier, I went back and read all the reviews that you guys sent me, and I knew I had to add more. so please; enjoy and let me know what you think._

...

Kyoko sat in the Kazekage's office, clutching a cup of chamomile tea and listening to the conversation around her.

"Yes, I am sure. A leaf ninja found her and we have the body."

"Do we know how she died?" Gaara's calm voice filtered through the room in response to the investigator's announcement.

"We are not sure yet. Medics are in the middle of the examination, we should know by the day after tomorrow. I suggest we send a mission to investigate after we know more."

"Thank you, I had already planned on that." Gaara rustled some papers. "It says here that she was found inside the border of fire?"

"Yes, sir. She was passing through on her way back from her mission. It seems to be an accident, but we can't rule out the possibility of an assassin following important leaders from Suna."

"Yes I realize that. Thank you." The door flung open at Gaara's words, and Kyoko heard a voice say something horrific.

"Kazekage-sama. We found something else about Mei-sensei. It seems as though her skin was ripped off. While she was alive."

None of them were fast enough. Kyoko flung her tea across the room and shoved her chair to the side. She flew through the room and out the open door, flinging the genin aside. She ran throuogh the maze of the Kazekage compound and soon exited the front door. She was going to catch this damn bastard, and she was going to kill him. Brutally.

Kyoko sprinted through the streets and into the golden sands surrounding Sunagakure. She ran and ran. Her heart hoped that if she ran far enough, it would all be fixed. She could run away from everything. All of the pain and confusion would be gone.

...

_Kyoko was nervous. She had been training with the other girls, and now she knew simple things like chakra control and some jutsus, but after an inspection with Chiyo baasama, it was decided it was time to hone her kekkei genkai. She was to learn privately from a special teacher who was supposed to be able to monitor her chakra and through trial and error figure out how the kekkei genkai worked. The pills that had saved her life would no longer be prescribed. Kyoko was afraid that with this one change, everything she had worked for and enjoyed in the past two years would be gone, destroyed._

"_Hello. I'm Mei-sensei." A pretty woman in a dark pencil skirt and zippered jacket appeared, smiling down at Kyoko, who jumped. "You're Kyoko, right?"_

"_Hai. I am supposed to train with you, right?"_

"_Yup." The woman smiled widely. Her light brown hair glinted in the sun. "Let me take a look at you. Stand up."_

_Kyoko stood, nervously wondering what the woman was going to say about her appearance. She wore a pair of old sweatpants and a shapeless green teeshirt, while her hair was pulled back in a ponytail that had frizzed around the hairline and did nothing for her face._

"_How do you feel right now?" Mei-sensei asked. When Kyoko hesitated she specified "About how you look."_

"_Not that great, I guess..." Kyoko wasn't sure what to say._

"_Well, the first lesson about being a top kunoichi is that you have to feel sexy, beautiful, and deadly. What do you say we go on a shopping trip?" _

_At the question, Kyoko nodded sheepishly, her insides a mixed jumble of happiness and nervousness._

_..._

Kyoko ran for hours, and no matter how far she went, the pain was still there, pounding in her head, and the anger bubbling in her chest. This was the woman who had made her a woman. She was almost like a mother, but tougher on her. She knew what Kyoko could take, and if she couldn't take it, she would just have to deal anyways. The scenes flew through Kyoko's head, and the voices were back. She hadn't felt like this for years. It was just too much.

...

"_Kyoko? Are you okay?"_

_She had been lying in her bed, the blankets wrapped around her, hugging an old stuffed animal to her chest, her eyes squeezed shut. The voices were back, and Kyoko's head felt like it was going to explode._

"_Kyoko, let me look at you."_

_She recognized Mei-sensei's voice, but she couldn't move. When she moved even an inch, her head throbbed with her heartbeat, stretching her skull to its limits._

"_Kyoko, come out and I think I can help you feel better."_

_Right. Of course Mei-sensei could make her feel better. With a deep breath, Kyoko threw the blankets aside and sat up quickly. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, waiting for the pounding to stop._

"_Here, just look at me. It will make you tired, but hopefully the voices will quiet. I think we need to get more serious with your training tomorrow. Take this." Mei held out a foodpill that was an alarming shade of blue, but at this point Kyoko was willing to try anything. She grabbed it and swallowed it quickly. "Now just open your eyes and look at me."_

_Kyoko stared into the green eyes of her teacher, and slowly felt the chakra drain out of her. The noise within her skull faded to a dull hum, and she flopped back into the bed._

"_There you go. Without chakra, it shouldn't be able to do much, so just go to sleep. I will come pick you up tomorrow for training." Mei tucked the blankets around her student, and left, shutting the door quietly behind her._

_As Kyoko drifted off, she could swear she heard someone yelling and swearing in the next room, saying something about parenting._

_..._

The sky had began to lighten again, and Kyoko's steps had slowed. She was now stumbling through the sand, and the scenes still flashed, along with clips of conversations. She heard her name, but had no clue who or where it came from, and honestly didn't care. She continued on her lonely journey to nowhere.

...

"_Really?"_

"_Yes, really." Kyoko huffed at her teacher's answer. "I want to make sure you are ready for the Chunin Exam."_

_Kyoko stood on one side of a dead log, giving her teacher the best irritated teenager look she had. "Tell me again what I am supposed to do."_

_Follow the blue line on the ground. Just walk, and I have different traps and ninjas around to test your skills. Obviously, don't kill any of them. Just do what is appropriate in the situation. Goodluck!" With that, Mei-sensei disappeared. _

_With another exasperated huff, Kyoko stepped over the log and began her walk. _

_Calming her mind and body, Kyoko moved slowly, sending her chakra in smooth waves out from her. at the edge of her range, she caught a ninja in a tree. Moving a bit closer, she stopped and molded her chakra into a thread that she slid into the enemy's mind. She probed a bit and found that she had shuriken ready to throw at Kyoko. With a quick flick of her chakra, Kyoko reshaped the memory of the girl's mission. As she approached, Kyoko held out her hand, and the girl handed her shuriken over calmly with a small bow and smile._

_With a nod, Kyoko moved on, probing for the next challenge. There was an older ninja a ways away in the trees, and he seemed to be thinking about a plan. She mixed her mental chakra with his and soon saw and heard everything he thought._

_She found that there was an ambush waiting ahead, and that they were hoping to rob her. With a slight smirk, she relaxed the combined mental chakra until the man fell asleep, and she tiptoed off the track and around the waiting ambush, careful to direct all of their thoughts to the shadow clone on the path. _

_As she continued, she returned to the marked blue line and soon found another ninja, this one seemed to be a jonin from the chakra control and her actions. Kyoko hid quietly in a bush and probed her mind. It took a bit longer than the others, as the woman seemed to have taken precautions against psychic-nin. _

_Finally, Kyoko found her mission. She had an important piece of information about Suna and was sent to bring it to an enemy. Kyoko gently replaced the tidbit with a meaningless fact about the wildlife in Suna, and searched again for anything she missed. Thinking about changing the meeting place in the woman's mind, Kyoko ruled that to be too much, and she snuck quietly down the path without drawing attention to herself. _

_Finally, Kyoko made it to a clearing and could see the end of the line. She slowed even further, wondering if there would be a final test or if Mei would test her herself. As she stood in the clearing, scanning her surroundings, Mei-sensei appeared._

"_Congratulations, Kyoko!"_

"_What?"_

"_You passed!" Mei was hugging Kyoko tightly, and nearly squealing in her ear._

"_So? This is just some kind of preliminary test so I can take the Chunin exam, right?"_

"_No!" Kyoko stared at her teacher blankly. "They want you for ANBU!" Kyoko's mouth dropped open, and her face showed shock._

"_Really?"_

"_YES! You passed, and now you will be training to become a spy with ANBU. That is, if you accept."_

_Kyoko stuttered, not knowing what to say or think. "Well, yea!"_

"_I knew you would accept! I am so proud of you."_

_Kyoko smiled. Everything was going right. She had a family in Temari and Kankuro, and a teacher that cared for her. She even had a bright future ahead of her. Everything was perfect at that moment._

_..._

Kyoko had collapsed in the sand. Her chest was heaving and she couldn't breathe. Her head was pounding, and there was no one to fix it anymore. Chiyo baasama wasn't even there. Everything was wrong. She felt as though her life had ended, but she was forced to endure a living hell.

As she lay in the sand, the sun shone down on Kyoko, and she lost all conscious brain function. She couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't anymore. The flashes of memories, both hers and other's mixed with the neverending sand and the burning sun.

She had no idea how long she lay in the sand, but she heard a voice. She didn't know if it was in her mind or if it was real, but she mostly wanted it to leave her alone. Let her die in her own miserable little world.

A silhouette extracted itself from the blurred images of her mind. A body was shaped by the bright glow of the sun, seeming to have an otherworldly aura in its rays.

"Come on Kyoko." She knew the voice, but her brain was fried. There was no guarantee it would ever work properly again, and Kyoko was okay with that. All she wanted was a soft bed, a quiet room, and peace.

Not caring if her saviour was friend or foe, Kyoko slipped into unconsciousness, relishing in the release from the pain.

...

_And at 12:30 in the middle of the night, it is finished._

_I know this chapter kinda sucks, and I am really sorry about that. The whole time I was writing it I kept thinking that the first was so much better, but of course, I couldn't remember enough to make it even close. Please don't be too mean, but do what you must, and review :)_


	11. Resolutions

_Well... No Kiba, but at least it's not just Kyoko O.o Enjoy!_

...

"Seriously! What the fuck was she thinking!"

"I think that was the whole point. She wasn't." Kyoko could hear the voices. She knew they were talking about her, but she didn't care. She felt a soft pillow beneath her head, and a fluffy blanket draped over her body. Fluffiness, that was all that mattered.

The first voice seemed to be a bit closer now. "You think they came back? The voices?"

"Probably... She seemed completely gone out there. She wasn't even Kyoko anymore. Just some body left in the desert."

Kyoko's mind was much calmer than it had been. All she could hear now were her own thoughts and the voices of the people talking about her. As she became more lucid, she realized that they were probably Temari and Kankuro. She cracked her eyes open, and found the wall of her bedroom. The light made her head ache dully, but it was manageable.

"Is she awake yet?" A third voice had entered the room, and there was no debating its owner.

"Gaara." Kyoko croaked.

There was a scuffling noise, then Temari's face appeared in Kyoko's line of view. "How do you feel?" She asked immediately.

"Like shit." Kyoko pushed the blanket down from her neck. With Temari's help, she sat up and propped her back on the pillows.

"Drink." Kankuro had appeared on the other side of the bed, and was holding out a cup filled with cool water.

Resigned, Kyoko took it. After a sip of the liquid, she realized just how amazingly thirsty she was. She gulped the cup down and flung it back at Kankuro demanding "More."

After a few more cups of water, Kyoko was cut off, saying she would make herself feel sick, and she needed to take it slow. Instead, she was given green tea and told to sip. "So how long was I out?"

"About a day." Kankuro had sat next to her on the empty side of the bed, and Temari was cross-legged near Kyoko's feet. Gaara, however, had opted for the lone chair in the corner of Kyoko's room. Things became awkward quickly as Temari and Kankuro stared at their friend, and Gaara mused, his eyes focused on something only he could see.

"So? What do we know?" Though Kyoko's anger and pain had drained with her energy, she was still determined to get revenge. Her logical mind had returned when she had been brought back from the desert, and now she was calm, waiting for her chance to really make these people pay.

"Not much." Kankuro supplied, watching his friend closely.

"Are you hungry? Do you want anything?" Temari asked quickly, not sure what to do, or if her best friend was going to lose it again.

Kyoko shook her head slightly and watched Gaara intently.

"I have decided to send an investigative mission." Gaara spoke, sensing their eyes. "Mei was a high ranking ninja, and she knew much about this village, including almost everything about you, Kyoko." Gaara's eyes turned to meet Kyoko's as he spoke. "There will be problems if they managed to extract information before killing her. There were signs of torture."

Instead of freaking out and possibly shouting, like tthey seemed to expect, Kyoko only sat calmly, sipping her tea. Thanks to her escapade in the desert and the lack of any and all energy, Kyoko was mostly numb by this point, and Gaara's words simply flowed through her brain. "So who are you going to send?"

"I was thinking I might need ANBU for this." Gaara replied evenly.

"Is it really that bad?" Kyoko didn't know what to think. Or feel.

"I am sending you to investigate."

Kyoko's eyes widened. If she had energy, she would have leapt across the room to hug Gaara. "I knew you were a smart one." She said, a small smile creeping onto her face.

"There will be conditions." He informed her. Kyoko only held her hands open, gesturing '_Let me hear it.' _"You will be accompanied by a sensory-type leaf ninja. This was a compromise as it happened in their country, and they are known for their trackers. Hopefully, they will help you find the place and what happened. Also, you will report directly to me every day, everything that happens during the mission."

Kyoko's face obviously showed that she wasn't bothered by the rules. "Okay."

"I mean everything, Kyoko." _'And now he is using his Kazekage voice... Thinks he's cool..." _Kyoko grumbled in her head. "I want to know your feelings, your findings, I want to know how far you got in a day." Gaara's unnerving gaze was fixed on Kyoko. "I also reserve the right to call you home."

Kyoko took a deep breath. "I can deal with that."

"Good. Now, you need to get better. And I need to do paperwork." With that, the Kazekage stood and exited the room quietly.

Kyoko looked around at her other friends and let her head flop back onto a pillow with a sigh.

"We were really worried about you." Temari said, her eyes worried.

"Yeah, I heard. You were the one swearing about it, right?"

Temari rolled her eyes. "Oh shut up. Chocolate or Strawberry?" She stood from the bed, moving towards the door.

"Both?" Kyoko suggested, her mind too muddled to make a decision as important as ice cream flavor.

"Fine. Fatass." Temari left, and only Kankuro remained.

"Don't do that, got it?"

"Huh?"

"I said, don't ever do that again. That was almost as bad as the time Gaara was kidnapped. It was only better because I didn't get poisoned this time. I thought you were gonna die."

Kyoko looked up at her brotherly friend. "Well, sorry. What was I supposed to do?"

"Not that." Kankuro thought for a moment. "Think about it. Would any of those other guys have been able to find you in time like I did? I mean, if I had been somewhere else, or couldn't help, what would have happened?"

"You're still thinking about Kiba, aren't you?" Kyoko's mouth twitched into a smile.

"Maybe." Kankuro looked to the side, obviously meaning yes.

"Well, I'm pretty sure he would have been able to find me. Or at least Akamaru would. And I get the feeling that if he saw that happen, he might never leave my side ever again. I'd be stuck with him forever. So let's just keep this to ourselves." She was returning to her regular self, joking, and a small smile was stretched across her lips.

"Well, maybe next time you should just give me a heads-up before you go all psycho and run off?" Kankuro suggested.

"I'll see what I can manage." Kyoko smiled slightly, and Kankuro wrapped a warm arm around her, squeezing her gently to his side.

"Yo. Don't you have something to do?" Temari had returned and was trying to form coherent words around a mouthful of ice cream.

"Yeah, yeah. Ho." Kankuro worked his way off the bed and pushed Temari slightly as he walked past.

"What about you? I thought you had to do something or other when we got back?"

Temari handed Kyoko the chocolate ice cream and a spoon. "Nah. I am strictly on Kyoko duty now."

"Right. You know me, messin everything up with my craziness." Kyoko scooped out a chunk of the ice cream and moodily stuck the spoon in her mouth.

"Yeah, yeah. So... hoping anyone in specific is gonna be assigned to your mission?"

"You're talking about Kiba, aren't you?"

"Duh! You never told me what actually happened, so spill!"

Kyoko sighed heavily, but began her story. _'Damn Temari... Trying to distract me...'_

_..._

_So? What do you think? Please review and let me know!_


	12. Reunited

...

It took Kyoko a few days to get better. People were constantly pushing liquids on her, and she was thankful when she got better, just so she could get away from them. Temari really had been taken off her duties, and she did everything with Kyoko. Granted they usually did everything together, but now it really was _everything._ Temari ended up sleeping in Kyoko's room with her (evidently the other side of the shared bathroom was too far.) and she even sat and talked while Kyoko took a shower.

A couple days in, Kyoko was ready to strangle her friend, screaming that she wasn't going to go crazy. Temari was continuously asking if she was alright, and Kankuro usually brought them dinner in Kyoko's room. It took a lot of complaining and a bit of threatening for them to allow her to eat at the table like they usually did. "You guys make being sick hell." She grumbled one day over porridge.

"Well, it's not usually fun, is it?" Kankuro asked, eyes still trained on the television.

"Well at the very least, it should be relaxing. I hope I never get sick again because you guys might just kill me off." Kyoko let a glob of her mushy dinner plop back into the bowl.

"Well, you're just gonna have to deal. The last time I had a stomach bug, you fed me gourmet broth for a week." Temari argued.

"That was different. You guys act like I'm on house arrest or something..."

"Nonsense." Temari turned aloof as she cleared dishes into the sink.

"Whatever. Can I have real food tomorrow?"

"We'll see." Temari answered.

Kankuro leaned over to Kyoko and whispered conspiratorially "I'll see if I can get you some Pad Thai."

"Thanks. I might just die if she keeps feeding me this." Kyoko gestured at the mush in her bowl.

...

Finally, she was allowed out on her own. Having been fussed over that morning, Kyoko was in a foul mood. "Damn them, I am a top Kunoichi! In ANBU nonetheless. I don't see any of them with this tattoo." Kyoko grumbled under her breath all the way to her favorite secluded training ground.

The day was getting warmer as it progressed, and Kyoko was easily working up a sweat. Long ago, she had tucked the hem of her skirt into the waistband over her right leg, and her hair was twisted lazily onto her head. Under the explicit orders of Temari, she had a bag stashed with bottles of water and an umbrella for shade. This lay to the side, forgotten, as she beat the absolute hell out of a tree with her bo.

All of her anger and irritation and sadness was sent through the bamboo and resonated with every loud _WHACK_ that sent her weapon and arms vibrating.

"So... This is Sunagakure. Land of the sand..."

Kyoko spun around violently in response to the voice behind her. Her bow was held in attack as she inspected him. There he was, dark jeans, leather jacket, white dog and all.

Akamaru bounded up to Kyoko and nearly knocked her over trying to greet her. With a quick redirection, he only bounced onto the ground, but Kyoko held her hand out to him; not in the mood for his rambunctious attitude. "What are you doing here?" She asked, barely holding back the animosity in her voice.

"What? Haven't you heard? I'm your new partner."

"I knew they were gonna do that." Kyoko returned to the tree, swearing grumpily under her breath about her friends.

"What?! Is that any way to treat an old flame?"

Kyoko stopped her attack on the tree, ended with a gentle whack on the side of Kiba's knee. "Old flame my ass."

"Oh, so I guess you never really forgot me." Kiba's face was cocky as he moved towards Kyoko, seemingly to hug her. This was greeted with a good jab in the diaphragm from a long bamboo staff. Kyoko quickly flipped it around and leaned on it as though it were an old man's walking staff. Kiba was hunched over, gripping his chest, while Akamaru whined, looking between the two. "Okay, Baby's not in the mood for some sugar." Kiba wheezed.

"Sorry, I've had my fill of sweets." Kyoko's sarcastic tongue was beginning to show, and her face showed just how much she wasn't going to put up with bullshit.

"Okay, okay." Kiba straightened, looking Kyoko directly in the eyes. "You know, it wasn't my fault." His attitude and voice had calmed, becoming serious and leaving the cockiness behind. "Or yours. Just because you had fun in Konoha. Chances are, it would have happened anyways."

Kyoko's emotions flared like fire and gasoline. How did he manage to figure out her thoughts and feelings, then just say them like they were common knowledge? Most of the time, she didn't even know what she felt. In a split second, her bow was in her hands again, and it had smacked Kiba squarely in the ribs.

Kyoko took a few steps away from the trees, her knees bent in a near crouch. Kiba had jumped at the impact, but he once again turned his eyes on Kyoko. "Is this what you want?" He crouched as well, sliding a kunai from behind his back. Kyoko lunged at him again, bringing the bo down in a slashing motion and connecting squarely with Kiba's left shoulder.

Kyoko could see the fight flare in his eyes, and Kiba's lip twitch. Kiba's body twitched with the thrill of a fight, but his brain said no. Kyoko came at him again, swinging her bo in a diagonal slash across Kiba's body. Kiba expertly blocked her attack with the kunai, managing to push Kyoko off balance and swing to the side. He achieved a good grip on Kyoko's arm and was in the process of swinging her around into a bear hug when he received a backhand punch to the face.

Effectively forcing her opponent to release her, Kyoko spun around again, blowing a piece of hair out of her face. "Come on, is that the best you can do?" Her eyes glinted with challenge, and Kiba reacted in like. He lunged at her, managing a grip around her waist and knocking her to the ground. With a grunt, Kyoko's weapon went flying, landing with a clatter a few feet from her outstretched arm. "Stupid dog." Kyoko growled, wiggling until his grip on her was loosened.

Realising her actions, Kiba tightened his grip, but was taken by surprise when Kyoko twisted her hips quickly and flipped them over. Pinning his hips and legs by sitting on them, Kyoko raised her fist quickly, aiming for Kiba's face. Kiba raised his arms in an X over his head, which effectively blocked Kyoko's first blow. With a noise somewhere between a growl and a scream, Kyoko pushed his hands out of the way with one hand, and landed a square blow with the other.

Kiba only stared at her for a moment, before taking advantage of the pause and quickly switching their positions. He quickly pinned her hips down with his and lifted her arms to be pinned in the dirt on either side of her head. "Feel better now?" Kiba's eye had already started to swell as he looked down at the girl below him.

Kyoko's eyes were nearly as wide as saucers. "Kiba..." He only stared back at her. Kyoko began to tremble, and soon her eyes were clouded with unshed tears.

"Can I let you go now?" Kiba asked, watching Kyoko break down in front of him. Receiving no answer, he slowly let her hands loose.

As soon as she could move them, Kyoko covered her face with her hands, the tears flowing almost freely now. "Just let me go."

Kiba slowly moved to allow her free movement. As his weight disappeared, Kyoko sat up, face still buried in her hands. "It's okay, Kyoko." Kiba said, inching closer to her.

Kyoko took deep breaths, trying to regain composure, but when she felt Kiba try and wrap an arm around her, it was all gone. "Stay away from me!" She screamed, pushing him back down into the dirt, and she ran.

Kyoko sprinted past Gaara's office door, thankful that it was closed, and into the living portion of the compound. She stopped for a moment in the door to the kitchen, taking deep, ragged breaths.

Finally deciding that she did need some comfort food, Kyoko grabbed a bag of cookies and retreated to her bedroom, the sobs and headache following closely behind.

...

_I don't really have much to say today, except that after the next 2 days I don't know when I will be able to post again, and that I really hope you guys will review and let me know what you think and if you want to read more!_


	13. Conspiracy Success

_Hi! So this is my first update in a while, and I really hope you guys like! Enjoy!_

...

"Leave me alone!" Kyoko wailed. Her friends had been trying to get her to unlock her bedroom door for hours now, and she moodily pointed the remote at the TV, changing the channel.

"Kyoko, I have ice cream, and I'll make these idiots go away, I just wanna watch Suna's Next Top Kunoichi with you!" Temari's voice was slightly muffled through the door, but Kyoko saw straight through her bribery.

"What part of 'Go away' are you guys not getting?" Kyoko flung the remote at the door, hitting it with an echoing thunk. With a frustrated scream, she flopped into her blankets, shoving a pillow over her head.

"Well this seems to be a reoccurring theme."

This voice was closer, and definitely male. _If that's Kiba, I just might actually kill him_. Kyoko pulled the pillow off her face and looked around. Sure enough, there he was, standing near her window, and eyeing her with a look that said he had never seen anything quite like it. Once Kyoko had seen him, Kiba quickly turned his eyes to the blank wall next to him, a slight flush creeping across his nose. Realizing what the look what for, Kyoko squeaked, then quickly rolled over, pulling the blankets over her body. "What is your problem!? Just coming in my room! At least last time you asked!" Kyoko's head peeked out of the top of the fluffy comforter, a flush crawling over her cheeks and onto her ears.

"Well, that would have been stupid. Obviously you would have said no." Kiba's gaze turned from the wall back to Kyoko, and it softened, seeing her head peeking out and her hair messy. "Besides! How was I supposed to know you were naked in here!?" He asked, holding his hands out in a gesture that plainly said "it's not my fault."

"You weren't supposed to know! It's my fucking bedroom!" Kyoko exclaimed. "Besides, I wasn't actually naked." _Thank the gods. _

Kyoko had taken a shower to get away from her friend's incessant voices earlier, and, knowing she wasn't going to let anyone in, had decided to lounge in her underwear and a bra. "Besides, how did you get in here?" She asked, her mind returning to logic. "I'm on the third floor!" She pulled the comforter up over her chest and sat up, sweeping the hair out of her eyes.

"Eh, you know." he shrugged. She didn't. Numerous boys had tried sneaking in before she had joined ANBU, and failed.

"And where is Akamaru?" She asked, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"He's outside, waiting."

Kyoko inspected Kiba intently, not sure how to feel at this point. "Go away." She muttered, rolling so her face was pushed into the comforter and her voice was muffled.

"No."

Kyoko's face scrunched into an expression somewhere between disgust and admiration. She was thankful no one could see it, as it also betrayed the beat her heart skipped.

"Why don't you ever do what I want?" She sat up again, flipping her head so her hair flew behind her and out of her eyes.

"I do. I will." He sat down on the edge of her bed after tossing his leather jacket onto her chair. "But sometimes you can be really dumb, and you need someone to help you make good decisions."

"So what, you think you're Shikamaru now, or something?" Kyoko's heart sped up, and this time she couldn't predict the ending of the situation.

"Hey. No, no. I never said that." Kiba defended, definitely catching the point of her comment. "I'm not-" Kiba stopped, seemingly changing the direction of his sentence. "We have different skill sets." He finally finished.

"Oh, most definitely." Kyoko's comment was full of hidden meaning, not completely evident to either of them. "So what, you think you're qualified to make my good decisions for me?"

"I don't know. Probably not." Kiba's voice was sincere, and his face showed an honest loyalty Kyoko had rarely seen before. He looked at his hands in his lap. "I guess I just hope that I can help you stay calm and…" Again, Kiba didn't seem to know what to say, but this time for a completely different reason. "I just hope I can be what you need."

Kyoko's heart felt like it had just gotten a jumpstart, and she couldn't seem to look away from Kiba's melancholy face. She noticed that he wasn't wearing his headband, and his sharp canines peeked out from between his lips, making him look like a lost puppy.

"Kiba." Kyoko groaned. Her voice was exasperated, and she flopped backwards onto the bed again, pulling the blankets over her head. She felt sad and sick and happy and a little horny, and lost and mostly she just wanted to crawl into his arms and cry. Then sleep. For hours.

Ignoring all this, she dove into the bulk of blankets around her. She squirmed and wiggled until she was tangled so far into the mass of blankets and pillows that it would have taken at least 5 minutes to get her out of them.

Her mind wrestled with her next plan of action. In a frenzy, her mind insisted that she absolutely, without a doubt, did _not _like Kiba. That's just not how it works. She doesn't like people. Especially boys.

Pulling itself away from the memories of her past male encounters, Kyoko's brain began to analyze and try to predict the outcome of the mission. Usually she would be concentrating on Mei-sensei, but at the moment, all she could think about was Kiba, and being alone with him for weeks. Briefly, she entertained the thought of requesting a new partner, but that was quickly shot down by logic. No matter how close she was to Gaara, she had the feeling that she wouldn't be able to get her partner re-assigned. He seemed to think Kiba was good for her, even if he seemed to have bad intentions, and it would take much too long to contact Konoha and request a new ninja.

Finally she reached the conclusion that she was completely and utterly fucked, and that life sucked worse than having to shave your head and getting trampled by a pack of rabid ninja hounds.

Resigned, she realized that Kiba had probably been trying to talk to her while she had her silent powwow, and she scrambled out of the blankets, gasping for air.

"Did you say something?" She asked.

Kiba shook his head at her. "Nope."

Silently giving him kudos for not trying to extract her from the blankets and realizing that she wasn't going to hear or listen to anything he said, Kyoko looked the boy over again. _Why me?_ She wondered, watching him as he picked at a spot on his jeans.

"Have you ever had a girlfriend before?"

Kiba turned his head to look at Kyoko. "Uhh… not really. Why?" A faint pink aura seemed to grow from his markings and spread across his face, but he looked straight into Kyoko's eyes.

"I was just… Wondering." She muttered, staring back at him. "Kiba." She said again, and this time he shifted his hips so it wasn't just his head facing her. Her face betrayed everything she wouldn't say.

Any embarrassment or uncertainty in Kiba's face seemed to melt at the look in her eyes, and he held his arms out to envelop Kyoko.

They sat for a moment or two, until the uncomfortable tork of their bodies became unbearable. "Uhh." Kiba muttered, and Kyoko sat up, burying her chin and nose in the fluffy comforter still wrapped around her. Expertly kicking his shoes off, Kiba pulled his feet up onto the bed and held his arms out again for Kyoko. She leaned towards him, and somehow, he managed to scoop her up and deposit the girl into his lap. At least 3 times her normal size, Kyoko decided she should just dress in a comforter from now on. It was the most comfortable and fluffy thing she had ever experienced.

They sat in silence for a while, but Kyoko's mind didn't stay dormant for long. "Kiba?" She looked up at him.

"Hm?" Was his comfortable reply, looking down at her.

"What happened to all those other girls?" She tucked her chin back into the fluffiness, and rested her head against his collarbone, close enough to smell his comforting scent. Her heart sped up a little, and she held her breath, waiting for his reaction and answer.

"I dunno. It just, didn't really work." He said, resting his chin on her head. "They were never the one for me. So there were a couple dates, a fling or two, but I could just tell they weren't going anywhere."

"Well, sometimes it's still good to see where it goes…"

"If I had done that, I might have missed the right girl because I was with a girl that I knew wasn't gonna last. To me, it wasn't worth the risk of losing….. her." Kiba's arms seemed to tighten imperceptibly around Kyoko.

Kyoko let out a sound somewhere between a grunt, and an exasperated sigh. She was over all of this stuff. Her heart felt heavy and it was a chore to breathe. She sat up, sighing heavily, and grasping the blanket around her. "So what exactly do you mean by all that stuff you were saying earlier?"

Kiba looked a bit taken aback, and he released her, letting a hand rest where he assumed her knee to be. "Well, it's just that you tend to get a little taken away by your emotions. You're really smart, but when you get upset, you don't think." His eyes were uncertain, but his voice was steady and confidant in his point.

"Yeah…" Kyoko mused. "It's a bad habit." She looked around the room, and for the first time, realized that the voices of her so-called friends had ceased. "I need clothes…" she said, glancing around again, looking for something nearby to grab. Unfortunately, she had also cleaned her room to avoid the siblings, so there was absolutely nothing.

Kiba scooted to the edge of the bed, untwining himself from Kyoko's blankets. "What do you want?" He asked, moving to her dresser and peering into the second drawer down. Breathing a sigh of relief when he realized it contained only shirts, he pulled it open all the way.

Kyoko watched Kiba go through her dresser. She couldn't help but think that she should be irritated with him, but her thoughts were drowned by a swelling in her chest. It almost hurt, and she forced herself to focus on the topic at hand, which did not involve the ways Kiba could change over the years.

Kyoko looked at the boy watching her expectantly from her closet. "Uh, I don't really care." She said, squinting to see what was behind him hanging on the rack. "Just, not my work clothes." She said, gesturing vaguely to a section that held numerous skirts, tight shorts, and net shirts.

"How are these?" Kiba asked, tossing her a loose-fitting pair of jeans and a soft t-shirt hoodie.

"Thanks, Mister." She teased, pulling the shirt over her head and pushing the blanket down simultaneously. Looking up, she realized Kiba was staring at the blank wall opposite her, and she kicked her legs out of the blankets. She quickly pulled on the jeans and, as she pulled the zipper up, she said "You're good."

Kiba turned to find Kyoko standing barefoot in her room. The jeans scrunched attractively around her ankles, and she had tucked her hands into the kangaroo pocket in the powder blue shirt. Her hair cascaded softly over her shoulders, and her cheeks were flushed with a soft glow. Her eyes were a light, dreary grey, and Kiba knew exactly what she wanted when he looked at her.

He wrapped his arms around Kyoko, squeezing her tightly. After a moment, he lowered his head to press his lips to hers.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Kyoko took a deep breath through her nose, and she planted a hand on his pectoral. Extending her elbow, she pushed him far enough apart where he couldn't quite reach her lips anymore. "You don't know what you're getting into with all this."

Kiba pushed his face forward again, quickly kissing Kyoko, then pulling apart, and resting his forehead on hers. His eyes opened to reveal the animalistic pupils, and a dancing look that told Kyoko he was smiling. "I think it's more like you don't want to get into it." He said.

Pulling apart, his hand slid down her arm to tangle itself into her fingers. He grabbed his jacket quickly and pulled her to the door. "Come on, I think Kankuro wanted to take us for Barbeque."

As they exited the room, something occurred to Kyoko. "You were working with them all along, weren't you?" They found the siblings in the dining area, and they all seemed to look relieved when the pair arrived. "Jackass." Kyoko muttered, punching Kiba in the arm.

...

_Okay, So I am super exhausted, so please let me know what you think! I will try and get the next part out around a week or so. Thank you! :)_


End file.
